The Romagna and Tuscan regions have long been in debate over which area is the true birthplace of this species of grapevine; while it is true that the first to mention it were the Tuscan authors, it is also true that the great notoriety of Sangiovese as a varietal wine originated in the ancient winegrowing tradition in Romagna, which is considered its elected birthplace.
Sangiovese is a difficult species of grape and it does not adapt well to the area in which it is grown; it is capable of yielding excellent wines only in environments such as the clay soil hills of the inland area around Rimini.
It is very versatile from an enological point of view; Sangiovese produces excellent new fruity wines, as well as very pleasant young wines, and at the same time it is able to produce great reds that age extremely well when produced under prime conditions.
It is used in pure form to make important wines such as Sangiovese di Romagna and Brunello di Montalcino.
It is also an excellent base for blended wines, together with Cabernet Sauvignon or other prestigious wines, as in the "Colli di Rimini Rosso" and in many important red wines from Tuscany, the Marches and Umbria regions.
