Albana Grapes
About
Albana is a white Italian wine grape planted primarily in the Emilia-Romagna region.This white wine grape has been cultivated in this area since the thirteenth century. The wines it produces are of extremely variable quality and rarely considered great.The wine made from these grapes, "Albana di Romagna", was the first awarded DOCG status (Denominazione Origine Controllata e Garantita) in 1987. The grape produces deeply colored wines and could be related to Greco di Tufo.
The grape is grown all over the region from Bologna to Rimini but plantings are concentrated near the cities of Forli-Cesena, Ravenna, Bertinoro and Bologna. There are a number of different clones of Albana.The name Albana refers to the colour of the the grapes (Albus = white in Latin).The Albana grape is processed into many styles of wine including amabile, dry, passito, sparkling and sweet. Albana is also known as Biancame, Greco di Ancona, and Greco.
the high natural acidity of Albana grapes serves it well when it is put through the process of drying, or appassimento, to concentrate its flavors.
