The Buyer | How Emilia-Romagna is a region still striving to find its own identity

Emilia-Romagna has long been in Tuscany’s shadow, but its patchwork of soils, ambitious producers and new legislation are helping it find its own voice. On a recent trip to the region Lilla O'Connor discovered that Sangiovese here has the bones to age, to deepen, and to rival its Tuscan neighbour in longevity; that the once-derided white grape Albana (Italy's first white DOCG) is making first rate wines; and that, as the region is still striving to find its identity, the best wines – from Modigliana’s perfumed heights, Bertinoro’s saline clays, Castrocaro’s crunchy reds or Albana’s textured experiments show a region on the cusp of definition.