Enio Ottaviani Winery.
What began as a family of wine sellers in 1966 by Founder Enio Ottaviani skyrocketed into what is now a wine producer, end-to-end supply chain, and exporter to over 30 countries thanks to cousins and partners Davide and Massimo Lorenzi and Mileno and Marco Tonelli.
In 2004, Massimo Lorenzi took the winery to new heights with his vision to transform it into a global exporter. He started small; he hit the road in a van full of wine crates, driving it all over Europe and expanding Enio Ottaviani’s notoriety town by town. By 2013, Enio Ottaviani was exporting to over 30 countries including the U.S. and the Caribbean. A year later, they breached Asia, Africa, and even Australia.
Enogastronomico, wine and food in Italian, defines Emilia-Romagna’s tourism. At the winery, it is the vehicle of the visitor experience. The Cellar, Enio’s tasting hub, faces views of lush green vineyards. Contemporary architecture brings a modern flair to the Enio Ottaviani experience. It also escorts visitors to the barrel room, where rows of cultivated Chardonnay, Romagna Sangiovese, Merlot, and sparkling wines. Here, visitors glimpse behind-the-scenes how Emilia-Romagna produces its best wine, honey, and olive oil. In addition to the immersive barrel room, a showroom and meeting area foster Enio Ottaviani’s signature “wine for friends” experience.
Tasting experiences vary from wine type, land, and food pairings.
The Local Wines: An immersive tour in the enogastronomia of Emilia-Romagna, this itinerary introduces the region’s best flavors. Local wines are the star of the show: Caciara, Dado, Strati, and Sole Rosso. Flavor pairings come with local cured meats from Sgambato di Mercatello sul Metauro, salami from Macelleria Stringati butchery, Cau & Spada cheese, and Enio’s own house-produced olive oil.
Led by Enio’s winemaker, visitors will tour the barrel room and explore the vineyards in the heart of the Conca Wildlife Oasis. Goodie bags include a Pantone kit and a wine handbook for aspiring viticulturists to take on the go.
Territorial: With the same offering as The Local Wines, this tasting tour incorporates grape varieties that thrive in Romagna’s unique climate. These include Mada, Clemente Primo, 928, and Merlot.
White Wines: Visitors get to sample the region’s best whites in the Wine Shop, with an itinerary of five types: Strati, Clemente I, Mada, and Rebola.
E-Bike Tour: Enio pairs with Romagna Bike, a cycling tour company, so visitors can explore just what makes San Clemente so special. Trails stretch to the beaches of the Adriatic, with cycle and pedestrian paths that zigzag through the Conca River Valley, between the River Conca and Morciano di Romagna, grazing Misano, Cattolica, and San Giovanni in Marignano and San Clemente. Before visitors depart, the winery will pack their group picnic baskets of wine, cheese, cured meats, and olive oil sourced from the bike routes’ surrounding landscapes.
“During tasting and Wine Tasting Experience, you will find a selection of local products and producers. We have become friends over time, we chose them because we have a lot in common: the love of our territory and the deep knowledge of the raw materials each of us works with every day. People themselves are the real wealth of a territory.”
Each tour is one hour long, offered from Monday through Sunday to groups of 10 or less. Small dogs and children aged 15 and above are permitted.
The land feeds Enio Ottaviani, but Enio Ottaviani feeds it right back. Nestled in the Conca Wildlife Oasis, the vineyards stretch across 18 hectares of land, from the Adriatic’s coast to San Clemente. These hills are propped at a high altitude, which increases crop UV exposure and boosts grape health. The winey’s lands themselves stretch from the Wildlife Oasis to Morciano di Romagna. Here, biodiversity thrives. Hundreds of flora and fauna species flourish in the valley’s lush soil, an environmental element that Enio Ottaviani strives to preserve, protect, and nourish through its eco-responsive farming practices.
“The link between all of these mentioned elements determines the great majority of the characteristics of our wines, and can tell our story much better than just a glass of wine... it is the story of our territory.”
All crops are cultivated with a regenerative method. Integrated crop management, which optimizes crop productivity without chemical, biological, or cultural intervention. Quite simply, the winery’s harvest is au-natural. They were even awarded the SQNPI certificate for their compliance with the Regional Integrated Crop Management Guidelines. In the vineyards, weeds are controlled through copper, sulphur, and zero glyphosate or mechanical methods that are known for their harmful impact on the environment.
“We aim at fulfilling the concept of CLIMAT, which is reached when a portion of land where the interaction between the subsoil, the soil and man’s know-how create a unique vineyard. The result is a wine immediately recognizable and balanced over time.”
Bees are also used to pollinate crops with a natural, anti-pesticide method. Bee pollination also promotes healthier soil rich in nutrients, as the winery plants flowers through its lands to sustain bee food and habitats. This method also promotes regenerative farming that gives back to the earth as its resources are utilized, minimizing waste and optimizing Enio’s sustainable impact on Emilia-Romagna itself. The best part? Enio’s bee hives allow the winery to produce its own honey, too.
Right down to the packaging, Enio Ottaviani embraces sustainable foresting practices. All packaging is also plastic-free. Any printed material utilizes Fedrigoni X-Per paper, which is pure cellulose and ECF, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®)-certified.
Among Enio’s barrels and barrels of whites, reds, sparklings, and rosé, its most notorious bottle is Dado Romagna Sangiovese. “A tribute to the tradition of Sangiovese di Romagna,” Dado is the result of years of cultivation and testing. Dado’s grapes are gathered separately from the main harvest; its conception began to “liquify” Enio’s overall identity. The winery chose to harvest Dado in targeted oils at high altitudes to maximize the benefits of sun exposure: between 60 and 260 meters above sea level. Planted on a truly lucky Sangiovese plot, Dado’s surrounding elements also cocoon its production in ideal growing conditions.
Its Adriatic climate fosters mild winters and cool summers, which nourish rather than suffocate crops. This year-round mild climate provides the perfect habitat for the final product, cultivating an overall cradle of healthy, vibrant origins in the earth.
Right down to the soil, Dado’s environment is perfect: untainted yellow ochre clay allows vine roots to take firm hold of the earth and thrive among pebbles, silt, and clay.
The result? A red that effortlessly balances typically contradicting profiles. A sapidity that hits the tongue conjures the Adriatic’s sea-salt wind, acquainting flavor with coastal minerality. Sharpness is softened to a delicate overall taste, a fresh flavor that packs a punch but is earthy enough for sophisticated sipping.
Its body also flashes a deep blue in some lights, reflecting on a violet-purple backdrop. This rich tone reflects Dado’s acidic balance with fruity notes of black cherries, raspberries, and strawberries. The earthy element grows from violets, black pepper, and tamarind.
Dado’s culinary pairings are evergreen. From summertime spirits with a plate of light seafood to mid-winter dinners of hearty stews and white meals, Dado is the ultimate red that merges luxury and easy versatility. These endless culinary pairing options reflect Dado’s origins in its Adriatic altitudes, where that year-round climate perfection provides the foundation that will ultimately create a wine that can be enjoyed all year long, in any setting or temperature.
As stated in the Enio Ottaviani Catalog, Dado Romagna is a singular experience: “Dynamic in the mouth, with an energy and sapidity that makes everybody fall in love with it. Dense and elegant tannin texture is perceived when paired with: fish in the oven or en papillote, white meats, stews. This Sangiovese goes well with almost everything.”
The Future of Wine
Enio Ottaviani is the traditional Italian winery for the modern palette. Ever-changing and adapting to the fast-paced global wine industry, the winery caters to expectations in eco-responsibility, agritourism, and quality of ingredients for a truly unique cellar. Through this spirit of innovation, every glass poured at the winery honors the legacy of Enio Ottaviani, the creator of it all.
Enio Ottaviani, the all-around singular winery experience, can be discovered for tourists and wine experts alike at enioottaviani.it.
