Pignoletto Wine Guide
Pignoletto is the most iconic wine of the Colli Bolognesi, the white wine that has managed to define this territory in some ways so fascinating and wild, but for others so confused and fragmented. The problem in Colli Bolognesi is that they don’t have an identity and they have been making Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for too many years here, forgetting the precious local vines, much richer in personality. Only now the winemakers are luckily coming back to roots. Not that the Cabernets are bad in these hills, but a return to the native grapes like Pignoletto was essential to survive.
History of Pignoletto: a Greek clone?
Pignoletto is an ancient vine, already known by the Romans: Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia reveals the etymology of the name Pignoletto, which would be Pino Lieto. But at the same time it is liquidated in a few words, as a not sweet enough wine to be good, but remember that the Romans mixed spices and honey with wine and adored sugary wines, which Pignoletto is not. Another hypothesis has it that the name Pignoletto comes from a pinecone, considered the cone shape of the bunch. The latest genetic investigations of the University of Bologna have shown that Pignoletto and Grechetto di Todi have the same DNA, so it is assumed that the Pignoletto comes from, like Grechetto himself, from Greece and came to Magna Grecia with the first Greek colonists who colonized the ‘South Italy.
Pignoletto production areas
Pignoletto is above all produced unblended, also because it cannot have less than 85% of Pignoletto grapes. The areas where it is cultivated are those of the Colli Bolognesi and the Modena municipality of Savignano Sul Panaro.
Other areas of production that have been interesting and long-established are the hills of Imola and Colli di Rimini, where the Pignoletto takes the name of Rebola. The influence of the sea helps a lot, giving flavor and iodine scents to a wine that is already very aromatic. Try the wonderful bottles of Rebola passito and you will find amazing sweet and super aromatic wines. Wines that are inexplicably absent in the Bolognese area…
Organoleptic characteristics of Pignoletto
Pignoletto produces lively and light wines, with a straw-yellow color with greenish shades and you can find it both still and sparkling. It is the classic convivial wine, perfect to accompany fish or a platter of cold cuts and crescentine. Don’t expect complex or too deep wines, but rather thin wines, very fresh and drinkable.
The nose offers a refined symphony of white peach, grapefruit, ginger, white pepper, lily of the valley, jasmine, wisteria, chamomile, cedar, hay and grass, pineapple, basil. And then almonds: in Pignoletto there are always tons of almonds suggestions tangled with flowers.
What does Pignoletto taste like?
On the palate it is sharp, crossed by a citrusy vein. Savory with touches of chalk. The structure is light and smooth, salty finish with almonds and orange flowers.
Serving temperature of the Pignoletto
Serve the wine at a temperature of 8-10 degrees, in open glasses, where it can develop all its aromatic charge. For more complex and structured wines you can bring the temperature to 10-12 degrees.
Pignoletto food pairings
Pignoletto is acid, fruity and super fragrant, but not too shabby: it’s like Albarino, perfect for fish, seafood, as aperitif, with olives and light cheeses or parmigiana ravioli, spaghetti with clams, chicken tikka masala, Chicken Cacciatore, Vitello Tonnato, truffle risotto, pasta alla carbonara.