Every year when I go to Vinitaly in April, I see old clients, always look and meet new clients and often try to attend various conferences and spend time trying wines I know little about. This year in particular it was a very crowded trip, also because it was shorter than usual for me.

One conference I wanted to attend but missed was about the new denominations in Emilia Romagna for Pignoletto and the Colli Bolognesi. I very must like the grape, love the region and am fond of both the PR team that was hosting the event as well as the speaker from Slow Wine so it seemed that it would be a great addition to my trip. Pignoletto is also called Grechetto Gentile but has always been called Pignoletto in this region. Again, as happens every year, the best laid plans…go awry. The newly formed consortium counts 3000 heactares of vines and 8,000 growers.

For those who don’t know this grape variety, hurry up and try to find a forward looking wine bar or restaurant that offers it by the glass. It is a refreshing white that pairs perfectly with charcuterie and cheese for which Emilia Romagna is famous as well as their incredible pastas. Pignoletto has been cultivated in this region for centuries, some say even as far back as Etruscan times. Some nine million bottles of Pignoletto are produced every year.

Pignoletto is a versatile grape that is made into many different styles from dry to sweet as well as sparkling. I am partial to the dry version and drinking it when it is young, floral and fruity. I’m craving some right now in fact as dinner approaches.

I lived in Bologna in graduate school so I am quite familiar with the region and am a big fan of the area and the people and their culinary productions.