Pignoletto: the king of Bologna hills

Pignoletto is the Emilian wine par excellence, mainly grown in the Bologna area. According to some, its name derives from the shape of the grape, which resembles a small pine cone. According to others, from the wording “happy pine” which would mean little sweet, or from the adjective “fussy” given to this type of grape, grown in an area which they thought wasn’t suitable for wine production. 

It has recently been discovered that Pignoletto isn’t, as people thought,an autochthonous vine of Emilia Romagna.Analysis of DNA has associated it with Grechetto Gentile, a type of grape from the Umbrian area, and with Greco, widespread throughout the South of Campania and Calabria, whose origins date back to the seventeenth century. 

The areas cultivated with Pignoletto are exclusively inEmilia Romagna,in the provinces of Bologna - especially on the hills - and Modena, in Savignano sul Panaro. Other cultivated areas of Emilia are Imola and Rimini hills, where the influence of the sea gives the wine an even more intense and aromatic scent, which takes the name of Rebola. 

The Pignoletto grape is medium in size, compact and elongated, with equally medium sized berries, elliptical shape and yellow-green color, tending towards gold when fully ripe. Productivity is mainly linked to areas of Emilia Romagnait is abundant and almost always constant. Sprouting comes quite early, towards the second decade of April. The harvest begins in the second half of August for sparkling wines and in late September for the other types. 
The wine obtained is a refined white with a straw yellow color and green reflections, which on the nose reveals a delicate, fresh and slightly fruity smell. He is considered the “king of the Bologna hills”. 

Among the numerous producers of Pignoletto in the area we find the Dalfiume Nobilvini winery, that since 1949 in the territory of Castel San Pietro Terme (in the Bologna area), produces Pignoletto, Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Albana, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Barbera, combining modern cultivation and production techniques with respect for the environment, making its wines products of undisputed quality at an excellent quality-price ratio.The Dalfiume Nobilvini brand has a wide choice of qualitative labels, going from traditional IGP to Dop Romagna and Colli d’Imola, available in various formats to cover consumer requests. All wines,.
marketedboth in the Horecachannel and in large-scale distribution,, are available in bottles and in barrels, both of the same quality. 

Another historical brand in the sector is Villa Poggiolo, where the search for the highest quality through the most modern technologies, the careful research, and the typicality of the products in respect of traditioncome together to guaranteewines of absolute value.Another historical brand in the sector is Villa Poggiolo, where the search for the highest quality through the most modern technologies, the careful research, and the typicality of the products in respect of tradition come together to guarantee wines of absolute value. In the production line, besides the typical Pignoletto: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay Sangiovese .

See our tour and discover the flavours of Pignoletto!