8/13/25 -

Emilia Romagna is a region renowned for Prosciutto di Parma, Balsamic Vinegar di Modena, Parmigiano Reggiano, Mortadella and more. It’s the region in Italy with the most DOPs (Protected Designation of Origin) for food- but in the countryside there is an array of excellent wines to discover! Largely humble, affordable, and meant to pair with food, Emilia-Romagna’s wines are some of my favorites.

Today there are 3 sparkling wines, 1 orange, and 2 reds all from different corners of the region. Chiara Condello to the East near Ravenna, Denavolo and Montesissa Emilio to the West near Piacenza, Ca de Noci in the center near Modena, and Corte Pagliare Verdieri to the North just over the Po River into Lombardia (please forgive me I couldn’t leave this wine off the list).

Azienda Agricola Montesissa Emilio

Elisabetta Montesissa like so many winemakers, inherited this craft from her family. She specializes in sparkling wines from the typical grapes in Piacenza- Malvasia, and Barbera and Bonarda. The limestone soils with fossilized oyster shells are 4 million years old, considered young compared to other soil types. This imparts a chalky, seashelly minerality to the wines, which contrast playfully against the characteristics of these grapes to create compelling sparkling wines.

Azienda Agricola Denavolo

Winemaker Giulio Armani started Denavolo under the premise of a question. What if white grapes are treated like red grapes? Thus began a project of skin contact white wines showcasing the calcareous soil of his slope at the foothills of the Apennine Mountains.
Giulio farms and ferments just South of Piacenza, on the Eastern side of the region.

Corte Pagliare Verdieri

While this winery is technically in Lombardia, I included it because it matches the style of today’s offer. The Po River is the dividing line between the regions, and grower/winemaker Mimma’s vines sit just to the North of it. She is a champion for organic viticulture and is the Vice President and founder of 2 different organizations preserving ancient methods in this historic land. There must be something special in the vines, Benedictine Monks developed viticulture here in the year 1000.

Chiara Condello

Chiara is a young winemaker, her first vintage was 2015 after leaving her economics background to follow in her family's winemaking footsteps. She works in the subzone of Predappio and exclusively with Sangioveto dal Cannello Piccolo Predappio, a subvariety of Sangiovese specific to Romagna. She only makes two wines, and does it masterfully. She farms on “...sedimentary soil called spungone, which is relatively young (three million years old, from the Pliocene epoch). It contains abundant, intact shells of marine life, often quite large, and is chunky and porous, held together by a calcareous sandstone “cement.”” - Bowler website

I am so excited to keep drinking her Sangiovese every year and watching it evolve- it keeps getting better and better!

Ca De Noci

Founded by two brothers, Giovanni and Alberto on their family’s walnut or ‘noci’ farm. They have honored and replanted native Emilia-Romagna varietals like Spergola and Malbo Gentile. Low yields are their secret to healthy fermentations with no sulfur!

-Marisa Licandro

>>>VIEW THE WINES<<<