Monday, March 21, 2011

True to Your Roots

The history is sketchy, but as the story goes, the native grape of Romagna was thought to have been planted mid-900s in the center of an ancient palace located in Faenza. Confined by old stone walls it managed to escape the ravages of Phylloxera. 
Transplanted to the Terbium vineyards in the Oriolo Villages in the hills of Faenza, neglected, it was allowed to almost go extinct, except for the rediscovery in the 1940s by Peter Pianori, who owned the land.
Through DNA testing it became officially recognized as a  original native only to the Emilia-Romagna region in 1993.


This area is famously known for its grapes of Romagna, Albana, Sangiovese and Trebbiano, but not so much for the grape known as Centesimino or Savignon Rosso. 
This little known grape, so true to its roots and originality is once again thriving in tiny amounts on the hills of Faenza. 

Azienda Agricola Farms Morini, located in Oriolo has dedicated it's talents and passion to preserving the local native grapes while continuing to strive for higher quality while emphasizing the importance of culture, territory, history and of course wine. They grow only 4 hectares of the Centesimino grape. 

It goes without saying it is privilege and a pleasure to taste such a unique wine which overcame pest, almost extinction and fashion to be preserved by those who truly believe in preserving native varietals and as a wine geek, I am truly grateful! 

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