A quality wine with no shortcuts: discovering “Pietramora”

“The knowledge of tradition, the strength to dare something new. That is how the land becomes wine. To achieve quality, shortcuts don’t count. Our production is the fruit of brave, innovative choices: bottles that faithfully respect the structured, ripe character of Romagna wine, without giving up refined winemaking.” With these words Cristina Geminiani of Fattoria Zerbina describes her idea of quality. Let’s begin, burdèl… curtain up.

On the first slopes of the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines, through the gentle hills linking Faenza to Tuscany, you travel up the Marzeno valley, and by the village of the same name you find the vineyards of Fattoria Zerbina — all strictly on hillsides and trained as bush vines (alberello). The estate has won around 120 awards. 140,000 single-stake bush vines create a magnificent sight, and a visit to the winery is certainly worth the trip. Fifty years of experience are expressed every day in extraordinary wines.

Today Sadifruttirossi takes you to taste “Pietramora”, the finest expression of Sangiovese according to Fattoria Zerbina. Pietramora is one of the founding wines of Zerbina’s rebirth from the mid-1980s. Cristina wanted Romagna to be part of the wave of renewal sweeping Piedmont and Tuscany at the time. With the precious help of Gianfranco Bolognesi and Vittorio Fiore, and the blessing of Luigi Veronelli — invited to the estate to taste the Sangiovese base wines — the wine was born in the great 1985 harvest. To shape its character, a very selective, quality-driven viticulture was needed, so Zerbina chose the alberello, a training system that combined two things: the proven value of high-density viticulture, tested for centuries in France, and the past presence of bush vines in Romagna’s high hills, evidence that superior quality was possible. Cristina’s life has always been enriched by meeting important people who lit her way. One of them was Nerio Raccagni, the eclectic sommelier of the restaurant La Grotta, which in the 1980s had renowned chefs such as Barbieri and Cammerucci. Nerio always told Cristina how important it was to name wines after places, and so came the idea of calling this riserva Pietramora. Pietramora is the highest hill opposite Zerbina, in the Marzeno valley, and for Zerbina it is its top Sangiovese, from vineyards that look out onto Pietramora.

Originally it was labelled as a “Vino da tavola di Marzeno”, just as had happened in Tuscany with Montevertine’s Le Pergole Torte and Fontodi’s Flaccianello della Pieve.

From the 2011 vintage the appellation became DOC Romagna Sangiovese Marzeno Riserva. A success. Making a wine that claims its subzone is very important and has a deep meaning: it raises the idea of a riserva to territorial authenticity, where the highest levels of quality are recognised.

Bottled only in vintages deemed worthy, Pietramora gathers the very best of the Sangiovese grown in Fattoria Zerbina’s oldest bush vines. It is the wine closest to Cristina’s heart, and the one that more than any other reflects its vintage: from the austere tannins of 1995 and 1998 to the softness of 1997, from the opulent alcohol of 2000 and 2007 to the flawless completeness of 2001 and 2016. The grapes are picked by hand and each vineyard is vinified separately in tonneaux. Fermentation in tonneau lasts about 15 days, and the wine then ages in the same casks for two years, followed by about 18 months in bottle.

The 2016 we taste today is beautiful and delicious: intense ruby red, very pleasing to the eye and the nose; persistent and intense on the palate. A gem of drinkable Romagna, a source of pride for our tables.

Full-bodied, with intense, enveloping aromas; ageing in barrique makes it round and very pleasant. Remember what barrique gives a wine? Vanilla? Yes… but in this case not too much. Very balanced.

On the nose my main impression is sour cherry and sweet spices. The sip is rich and balanced, enlivened by a subtle, elegant freshness. A great Sangiovese in the heart of Romagna.

Chatting with Cristina, she advised me to put a few bottles of 2016 in the cellar and to taste it again in a few years: 2016 has plenty of longevity in it. Look for it, drink it, pair it and start all over again (in any order).

Today’s pairing? Let’s buy a good bottle of Pietramora 2016. I don’t know about you, but I happily drink reds in summer too, and in this heat a couple of degrees cooler makes me enjoy them even more. In summer too? Yes. It’s no sin to drink a good red in summer, nor to chill it a little to make it a better match.

Let’s make a good tagliatelle al ragù for our table — the kind grandmothers make, the good azdòre, the real Romagna influencers. The kind that holds the ragù. Handmade. Unforgettable.

Trust me: on a full stomach you think better.

After all, we’re not Michelin-starred chefs, and the best pairings often reach our everyday tables from simple choices. Sometimes, though, I follow Cristina’s advice — and sometimes I’m a bit naughty and open it just for the pleasure of drinking it in good company, over a chat. There’s always a Pietramora in my cupboard. Ready? Let’s drink…