New York, March 14, 2022 – One of the most innovative producers in the Colli Piacentini region of northern Italy, Luretta crafts unforgettable wines with a dual nature. They are contemporary, sustainably made, suitable to modern tastes and versatile in matching many cuisines. Yet they are also complex and even unconventional, elevating Colli Piacentini’s long tradition of creating red, white and sparkling wines of elegance and personality.
For three decades, Luretta has been a leader in Colli Piacentini, a hilly enclave of Emilia-Romagna along the border with Lombardy, where medieval castles dot the landscape and vineyards climb up the slopes of the Ligurian Apennine mountains, and located at the same latitude of Turin in Piedmont.
In 2022, Luretta has turned its focus to sharing its wines with the U.S., increasing exports of three of its flagship wines. Each is a distinctive and ambitious expression of both the region and the winery. DOC Gutturnio, a Barbera-dominated red blend, is vinified as a still wine rather than the more common frizzante style of the area. Bocca di Rosa, a monovarietal Malvasia di Candia Aromatica (researchers recently discovered that Leonardo da Vinci grew this variety at his villa in Milan), presents the namesake aromas of the grape and terroir in a fresh, balanced white. And Principessa, a brut Chardonnay sparkling wine made in the metodo classico—unusual for the region—combines refinement and refreshment.
Lucio Salamini, 47, the second-generation owner of Luretta, was among the winemakers that catalyzed the renaissance of local wines 30 years ago, helping refine unpretentious wines into something newer and more exciting. Working with winemaker Alberto Faggiani, the longtime enologist at Jermann as well, Salamini approaches winemaking with a master perfumer’s touch, emphasizing his wines’ verve and grace while preserving the unique, sometimes muscular, taste and character the Colli Piacentini terroir provides. The resulting wines can equally grace the family table as well as the chef’s table.
Luretta, founded in 1988 by Felice Salamini, Lucio’s father, today produces 300,000 bottles from 123 acres of estate vineyards. Located 16 miles south of Piacenza, on a 800 to 1,650-foot hill, its vineyards surround the evocative medieval Castello di Momeliano, where the winery ages its finest wines.
Coming from a cattle ranching family, Felice and Lucio Salamini have been practicing viticulture inclined toward biological wines since the beginning. They grow and vinify grapes organically, using no synthetic fertilizers, no herbicides, no irrigation and indigenous yeasts during fermentation. More recently, the Salaminis’ sustainable philosophy has been applied to the whole production process, with the introduction of solar panels and the abolition of plastic across the estate, as well as the use of screw caps and lighter-weight bottles. The company has achieved Italy’s ICEA certification for its sustainable practices since 2000.
In Emilia-Romagna, whose international fame was long tied to mass-market Lambrusco, Luretta offers an exciting and ambitious new vision for what the land can achieve.
THE WINES
GUTTURNIO, $ 25
A blend of Barbera and Croatina (the local name is Bonarda, not to be confused with the grape of the same name found in Argentina), Gutturnio is the hallmark wine of Colli Piacentini, its production limited to a small DOC around Piacenza. This wine naturally pairs with local delectables such as prosciutto and other cured meats, as well as homemade stuffed pastas such as tortelli and ravioli.
While Gutturnio is usually vinified as a sparkling wine, Luretta crafts a still version of it, a luminous and vigorous red with balanced acidity and tannins, a long finish and impressive ageability. Aged nine months in oak casks, it showcases scents of blackberries, mint, and cardamom. Juicy yet robust, this is a steely mineral red in the manner of some Piedmont wines.
BOCCA DI ROSA, $30
Bocca di Rosa is made from 100% Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, a local grape and the most “aromatic” among the 18 Malvasia varieties found in Italy. An intense honeyed yellow color, this wine features vivacious aromas of elderberry, dried lemon peel, acacia and
marzipan. It works well as an aperitif but also as a match for risotto and pumpkin tortelli. Get more details.
PRINCIPESSA, $24
Principessa is a dry sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay in the metodo classico. It has a savory, crisp, refreshing taste, with a bouquet of thyme, elderflower and lemon curd. This a medium-bodied, suave sparkler that works well as an aperitif—try it with finger foods or even sushi—and spicy Asian dishes. Get more details.
ABOUT COLLI PIACENTINI
This historic wine region extends on the Apennines’ region between Piedmont and Tuscany’s hills, along the border between Lombardy and Emilia, around Emila-Romagna’s cities of Piacenza and Parma. Encompassing the five valleys of Val Tidone, Val Luretta, Val Trebbia, Val Nure and Val d’Arda, it dominates the Po River valley. Colli Piacentini is distinguished by its rolling hills, many covered in vineyards and dotted with a network of medieval castles.
Distinct from the notable neighboring areas where Lambrusco is produced, the territory reaches elevations of 500 to 1,500 feet. The soils are not fertile, yet rich in minerality from a composition of red clay, iron, silicon and magnesium, and limestone which yields minerally, savory whites and structured, tannic, bright-hued reds. Although Colli Piacentini sits at the same latitude as the Langhe region, a warmer climate and less precipitation allow grapes to produce wines of substantial body and power yet still well-balanced by the minerality and acidity yielded by its soils.
All the producers are represented and championed by the Consorzio Tutela Vini DOC Colli Piacentini. Colli Piacentini is also world-famous for its cuisine, such as DOP cheeses (Grana Padano, Provolone Valpadana), cold cuts (coppa, culatello, and lardo), and dishes like tortelli with ricotta and spinach, trippa, stuffed zucchini, and sbrisolona cake.
