Albana

Also known as Albana di Romagna.

Albana is an ancient white grape of Romagna, the basis of Romagna Albana — which in 1987 became the first Italian white wine to be awarded DOCG status. It is grown across the Romagna hills from Imola to Rimini and is notably versatile, made dry, off-dry, sweet and, most famously, as a botrytis- or raisin-affected passito.

Thick-skinned and relatively tannic for a white, Albana gives structured, golden wines with orchard-fruit, citrus and honeyed notes; the dry versions can show an unusual grip, while the passito wines are rich and long-lived. Its documented history in Romagna runs back centuries.