Finely chop the celery, onion, and carrot together (individually if using a food processor)
Put the chopped mixture in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Sweat the vegetables until the red onion becomes translucent.
Add the ground beef, brown it and make sure that the meat is broken up. The juice will release from the meat. Keep cooking until all the juices have evaporated, scraping the bottom of the pan with your spoon continually to achieve more browning and flavor.
At this stage, add the wine, making sure to scrape off anything that is stuck to the bottom of the pan. Continue to simmer until the wine has reduced and the alcohol has burned off.
Finally add the tomato passata and salt to taste. Place the lid slightly ajar on the pan to allow the moisture to evaporate and the sauce to slowly thicken.
Simmer on low heat for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 3 hours. Stir occasionally to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
After an hour and a half, check the consistency. If the sauce seems to loose, remove the lid to allow it to reduce faster and thicken up. If the sauce is too dense, add a drop of water, but no more wine.
When the sauce is thick and clings nicely to a spoon when it is held upright, your sauce is ready to use on your pasta.
Cook the pasta. Add some pasta water to the sauce. Drain the pasta. Top the past with the sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve and enjoy.
