Italy's Food and Wine Epicenter: Emilia-Romagna 

BY ERIC GUIDO | NOVEMBER 04, 2021

It was in culinary school, while studying the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, that I had my very first wine-pairing epiphany. I placed a glass of Sangiovese next to a plate of pasta topped with a hearty ragù. Suddenly, the wine took on a sweeter fruit profile, its acids balanced against the richness of the meat, and the sauce itself seemed to gain in robust flavors. It was absolute perfection, and the beginning of a long yet fruitful journey that continues to this day. 

Emilia-Romagna is important for an aspiring chef to study, not just because it is a mecca for food and wine lovers across all of Italy and the world, but also because the cuisine that most Americans associate with Italian food originated here. Granted, that has changed as the regional preparations of Italy have become much more popular and accessible even outside of fine dining establishments. However, if you go back to the 1970s through the 1990s in the United States, Italian food was pasta, rich tomato sauces, ragù, lasagna and just about any kind of fried breaded meat “parmigiana,” which referred not to the cheese layered on top but to the style of the city of Parma.

The Olmatello vineyard of La Berta, used to create their Sangiovese Superiore and Riserva Solano.

The fact is that it’s incredibly important to consider food when talking about the wines and culture of Emilia-Romagna. This region's prosperity is the result of a love of fine foods and the desire to eat, drink and live well, but also its success in exporting this experience around the globe. Parmigiano-Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma, aceto balsamico and every shape of dried pasta imaginable are expertly produced here and find their way into the kitchens of both home chefs and top restaurants. But it’s not just exports; foodies flock to the region to enjoy its diverse array of salsiccia and formaggio, not to mention pasta, which is a serious business in Emilia-Romagna. The making of pasta fresca is more like an art form, combining only three to four simple ingredients (wheat flour, egg, salt and water) with meticulous care. This pasta can be filled with a variety of cheeses, meats, pumpkin or (a Romagna favorite) chestnuts, to create ravioli, tortellini, tortelli and lasagne. Now top your pasta with a rich Bolognese sauce or ragù. Are you hungry yet? I know I am, but the big question is: what is the perfect wine to pair with all of these rich and hearty foods? That’s easy: Lambrusco. 

Let’s first establish that the Lambrusco that comes to most people’s minds when thinking about the category isn’t a traditional Lambrusco. The sweet and sticky versions that were popularized in the 1970s and 1980s do still exist, but there is also a diverse range of Lambrusco, from Secco (dry) to Amabile (semisweet) and, of course, Dolce (sweet). Each of these categories finds a perfect pairing in the restaurants and delicatessens of Emilia. Apart from the oceans of Lambrusco created for tourists and for export around the world (Emilia-Romagna is the third-largest wine-producing region after Puglia and Veneto), there are producers who are looking back to the traditional forms of Lambrusco, created through secondary fermentation in bottle (metodo classico), not in a mega-sized winery full of giant steel vats where the wines are done entirely in steel.

The vineyards that produce Lambrusco grow in alluvial soils that cover the vast plains of Emilia, north of Reggio and Modena. Within those vineyards, we find a number of distinct varieties: Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Maestri, Lambrusco Salamino, Lambrusco di Sorbara and Lambrusco Grasparossa. Some generalizations can be made about these varieties. Marani and Sorbara create lighter and more delicate, elegant expressions, often looking more pink than red. Grasparossa delivers a fuller-bodied wine, while Salamino finds a happy balance between richness and delicacy. Maestri provides a deep expression, packed full of fruit, and has a robust, purplish-red color. The average conversation about fine wine tends to lean toward the Romagna portion of Emilia-Romagna; however, there are some truly exciting expressions coming from Emilia.