Romagna Albana

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Albana expresses its organoleptic potential most fully when grown on soils in the vicinity of the chain or "vena" of the Spungone, a geological formation extending from the Faenza area to the Cesena area.
• The Spungone consists of organogenic calcareous sandstones, formed from the remains of fossil organisms of Pliocene age, embedded in clays, with a yellowish colour that is sometimes very intense.
• The formation presents a rocky morphology similar to that of the Vena del Gesso, with steeper, bare south-facing slopes and less steep, wooded or cultivated north-facing slopes.
• In the two bands flanking the Spungone, Albana is generally found on clay or clay-silt soils with varying calcareous content, as well as on yellow sands that tend to be low in calcium carbonate.
• Most traditional Albana vineyards are situated in the sector between south-east and south-west, with excellent results at altitudes above 100 metres above sea level, demonstrating that this is a variety that benefits from good sun exposure, or more precisely from high luminosity.

• In 1300, Pier de' Crescenzi wrote that this grape variety is considered better than all others in Forlì and throughout Romagna, identifying the localities of excellence for the variety.
• Traditionally, the first harvest of Albana yielded a dry wine for summer farm work, while the second harvest gave a more robust wine that often retained sweetness because the cold autumn temperatures arrested fermentation.
• Part of the harvest was hung in lofts and, after appassimento, pressed to produce a passito wine destined for important family celebrations and also for Mass wine for the Eucharist.

• Albana wines share a common aromatic note attributable to vegetal scents, with particular reference to sage, recognised as characteristic of the variety.
• Depending on the greater or lesser calcareous content of the soils, the wine displays more or less pronounced floral notes and a distinct fruitiness in which the apricot character tends to predominate.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0285
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Vini di Romagna