One of my biggest discoveries this Vinitaly was just how good wines can be from Emilia Romagna. I had generally overlooked Emilia as a wine region, my mistake, and aside from great Lambrusco, had tended not given its wines their due. That said, I love Emilia Romagna and spent a great year of my life in graduate school there at SAIS in Bologna.
I also spent a fair number of summers on the Adriatic at Lido degli Estensi and Lido delle Nazioni and have fond memories of many experiences in that part of the world. Not least, I am a huge fan of some musicians from Emilia Romagna, namely Vasco Rossi and the amazing Luciano Ligabue. Rockers Italian style, I feel like I am 16 when I listen to their music, check out this song from Vasco, Vivere and this one from Liga….
This I know is a wine blog, I’m getting there. On the hunt for a variety of wines from Emilia, I went to San Patrignano, a very famous rehabilitation center that has branched out into food and wine. One of their wines is called Aulente Rosso IGT Rubicone
Sangiovese di Romagna is not the same grape as the Tuscan variety. It is somewhat less acidic and is a bit sweet and more gentle. It’s also less bright and less intense.
This particular wine ages for a short period of time in tonneau but not new oak. It has a relatively high alcohol content, 13.5% and would go very well with a pasta and ragu or lasagna, not ideal for summer but delicious nonetheless. A seasoned parimigiano reggiano or a nice plate of salumi could do the trick for summer though.
Anyway, I liked it and San Patrignano does good works with people in need. They also make, oddly enough, a great Cabernet Franc in Tuscany in Maremma called Il Paratino. Cabernet Franc is one of my favorite red wine grapes so I always try them when I get the chance. This one had a bit too much wood on it but its the first vintage so I’m hoping they will modify the winemaking style a tad. The grapes are grown in Tuscany but the winemaking takes place in Emilia at the cellar of San Patrignano. This is a wine I would like to taste again in a few years.
avvinare.com 
i recently visited Campodelsole – really nice wines. basic reds are clean, fresh, honest. good values!
Thanks AC. Glad you stopped by Avvinare. I’ve never gad Campodelsole…la prossima volta.
[…] is often overlooked but I think that is a real mistake. They have lovely wines, including great Sangiovese and Pignoletto to recommend as well as some interesting passito made from Albana and other grapes […]
Reblogged this on avvinare and commented:
I just shared a bottle of Aulente Rosso IGT Rubicone with a friend last night and paired it with Peruvian chicken. A lovely combination and I thought I would post this blog about Sangiovese in Romagna.