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White Grape · Emilia Romagna
Pignoletto (“pee-yoh-LAY-toh”) is a dry and aromatic Italian white wine produced from the homonymous grape variety, also known as Grechetto Gentile, in the central region of Emilia-Romagna. Often produced in sparkling version, it is the most representative and popular wine of the Colli Bolognesi, the hilly area surrounding the city of Bologna.
Taste · Where it sits
Forget scores out of five. Here’s Pignoletto described against grapes you already know.
Key flavours
The map
Pignoletto is light to medium, very soft tannin, mapped against other white grapes you can buy. The closer a grape sits, the more its weight and grip resemble Pignoletto.
Serving guide
Serve at
6-8°C
Decant
No
Glass
Flute Glass
Drink within
1-3 days
Cellar
1-2 years
On the table
Start with the home-table matches that made the grape, then browse the full cuisine library.
Browse every pairing
Denominations
The appellations where Pignoletto plays a starring role.
Where it grows
Italy's pasta plains pour fizzy Lambrusco from Modena and Reggio, ageworthy Sangiovese di Romagna, Albana DOCG whites, and Bologna's gentle Pignoletto.
Editorial
Pignoletto is almost always produced in purity. The influence of the sea, on the wines produced in the coastal areas, adds iodized aromas to a vine which is already very aromatic.
‘Frizzante’ literally means fizzy wine. This definition is used in Italy for sparkling wines produced with the Charmat method, reaching a maximum pressure of 2.5 atmospheres, instead of the minimum 3 typical of ‘spumante’.
Mostly produced through Charmat method, with a second fermentation in sealed tanks and a phase of maturation on its lees, sparkling Pignoletto is an excellent alternative to Prosecco.
Pignoletto (also named Grechetto Gentile) is an ancient vine, already known by the Romans, but the latest genetic investigations show that Pignoletto and Grechetto di Todi have the same DNA, so it is assumed that this grape comes from Greece and arrived in Southern Italy with the first Greek colonizer.
The Prosecco boom, of the recent decade, has driven sales for this lesser known wine that can offer the same quality at a more accessible price. Numerous sparkling versions have recently begun to circulate, attracting the interest of some important producers and an increased attention to quality also in the still version especially after the introduction of the DOCG appellation in 201
Nicknamed the ‘King of the Colli Bolognesi’ for its strong bond with its territory, Pignoletto is a young and fragrant white wine for everyday drinking. The sparkling wines offer a refined alternative to Prosecco.
Good to know
Pignoletto is a pleasant, lively and light white wine, often found in ‘frizzante’ or ‘spumante’ versions. Not a complex or deep wine but rather delicate, aromatic and easy drinking.
While on the nose Pignoletto offers a fair complexity of fruity, spices and floral hints. On the palate it is delicate, with a fresh and savory vein of white peach and pineapple, citrus notes of grapefruit, lily of the valley, jasmine, often on a grassy background of hay.
Pignoletto is generally a dry white wine. Some wineries also produce excellent dessert wines from Pignoletto, although, unfortunately, they rarely make it out of the Italian market.
Pignoletto is produced in the Italian central region of Emilia Romagna, on the Bolognese Hills and in the area of Savignano sul Panaro, in the Modena municipality. Other production areas include the Imola Hills and the Rimini Hills, where the grape takes the dialectal name of Rebola.
Pignoletto is the classic convivial wine, excellent as aperitif but can be suitable throughout the whole meal. It is incredibly good with cured meats and many of the Emilian traditional dishes. It works very well with fish and vegetarian dishes.
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Jump to the editorial guide for each style this grape turns up in.
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31 wines
35 denominations
