ALBANA Albana is a 'white berry' grape (with a large, pentagonal leaf, and a deep yellow skin) and was the first white wine in Italy to obtain the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (D.O.C.G.), in 1987 (conforming to DOC laws but also tested by government-appointed inspectors). The origin of the “blond nectar of Romagna” seems to go back to Roman times. Mention is made of it in manuscripts of that time which cite Galla Placidia, the daughter of Teodosio. Other people think the name comes from the Colli Albani (Albani Hills), where the Legionaries who colonized Romagna came from. But the most probable origin is 'Albus' (white par excellence), referring to the quality of light grape which is considered the best of all white grapes, and hence Albana. Legend has it that the beautiful blond Galla Placidia arrived in a small town perched on a rock on the plain between Forlì and Cesena in 435 AD: the friendly townspeople were struck by her beauty and offered her their sweet, full-bodied local white wine in a unrefined terracotta jug; she was so enraptured by the quality of the nectar that flowed sweetly into her veins, making her happy, that she exclaimed: “You shouldn’t be drunk so humbly, but DRUNK IN GOLD (BERTI IN ORO)”; according to the legend, ever since then, the town where the queen quenched her thirst has been called Bertinoro. LA PIADINA   TREBBIANO SANGIOVESE   PAGADEBIT ALBANA   CAGNINA