There are many confusing stories around Lambrusco. Originally, the name simply meant "wild grape wine" and referred to a number of local varieties, many of which are still in use today: Grasparossa, Maestri, Marani, Monstericco, Salamino, Sorbara... And all these are different varieties of Lambrusco, despite the fact that in many sources they are called clones of the same variety. Now the names of these varieties are used as "brands" of wine to distinguish the palette of results that these local varieties can produce.
More on this below.
| Champagne tasting |
Lambrusco's story is amazing and sad at the same time.
On the one hand, it is a beautiful grape that has been around for many years. When you drink Lambrusco, you are drinking wine that the ancient Romans enjoyed. They loved Lambrusco wine. It was not difficult to grow, it produced good yields and was very popular. It is quite possible to imagine Caesar sipping Lambrusco from his goblet, eating a slice of cheese and looking around his domain ...
Over the past centuries, many varieties of Lambrusco have been born. By the end of the 20th century, ampelographs numbered more than 60 varieties of this variety. This can be difficult for novice wine drinkers to understand. If you take, for example, Chardonnay grapes, then they are all genetically identical. It was enough many centuries ago to find the perfect Chardonnay - and many years later we still have copies of that very first vine. Just like in the case, for example, with Red Delicious apples.
However, in the case of Lambrusco, things are not so simple. In the wild, it is easily pollinated from vines of other varieties - as happens, say, with dandelions and other wild flowers. The result is a variety of Lambrusco varieties. Yes, they taste similar - just as all dandelions look similar - but still, they are not exactly the same as most modern wine varieties.
The star and the sadness of the Lambrusco path
When the 1970s came, the fashion for cheap sweet wine came to America, and Lambrusco became extremely popular there. It was cheap, and despite the fact that this wine is also made in dry version, Italians filled the American market with sweet varieties because the consumer demanded it.
So that's it. The sad part of Lambrusco's history begins with the development of the taste of wine lovers. In the Soviet Union, too, the majority preferred semi-sweet and sweet wines. And even the prestigious lines of the Massandra collections at that time were fortified and sweet, in particular, muscat wines.
Now a different era has come, with different preferences and ideas about what "good wine" should be. And everything that was popular in the Soviet Union and America of the 70s automatically falls into the “wrong” category. Not only sweet wine fell under this cliché, but also rose, which is incomprehensible to many today. Because of the fashion for style and color of wine, many people miss out on worthy and interesting samples of "unfashionable" wines - both in the inexpensive and in the premium segment: from democratic pink Portuguese "wine verde" to luxurious sweet Austrian "ice wines".
Lambrusco on labels
In an effort to uphold their reputation, Italians are attempting to limit the use of the name Lambrusco on labels exclusively to Italian winemakers. For the reasons described above, there is a chance you will come across a bottle with the inscription "Lambrusco" filled with cheap wine from his not very successful variant.
Until the name Lambrusco received the international status of a name controlled by origin, such as, for example, champagne and prosecco (although in Italy there is a category DOC Lambrusco, laying down the rules for lambrusco produced in Italy).
What is Lambrusco like?
It turns out that you can stumble upon both cheap and tasteless Lambrusco wine, and quite decent, light, fruity sparkling wine, perfect for a light summer lunch.
So don't judge Lambrusco by the very first cheap bottle from the supermarket. To tell the truth, Italian origin is not a guarantee of excellent taste, although the best examples of it are undoubtedly Italian. Do not rush to conclusions, give it a chance - it can be so different!
Firstly, this wine comes in different colors: you can find red, and pink, and white Lambrusco (yes, yes, even from red grapes).
There are dry, semi-dry and sweet versions. There is still Lambrusco wine, there is a slightly sparkling wine (what the Italians call "frisante" - frizzante), and there are also quite sparkling options, with the number of bubbles a little less than in champagne ("spumante" - spumante, according to the Italian gradation of "sparkling ").
Almost all Lambrusco is produced using the Charme method (in which secondary fermentation, during which bubbles form, does not take place in separate bottles - as is the case with champagne - but in large steel containers). If you come across a bottle of Lambrusco with the inscription on the label "traditional method" (or "classical method"), then you have an exceptional wine and a great rarity among Lambrusco.
The pigment of Lambrusco berries can give the wine a seductive ruby color if you give the vine proper attention and allow the grapes to ripen properly. Then in the glass there will be wine with a bright aroma and no less intense color.
Only the color of the Anchellotta grapes, another variety allowed for this wine according to the DOC Lambrusco rules (i.e. the rules describing the requirements for the contents of Italian bottles with the Lambrusco inscription on the label), can compete with the purple Lambrusco.
Ancellotta It is not a Lambrusco variety, it is a different variety altogether. Ancelotta is used to "correct" the color of Lambrusco wines in case the winemaker did not keep track of the yield, and the wine turned out to be pale and watery.
Some Lambrusco wines have been awarded their own DOC category
Lambrusco di Sorbara(Lambrusco di Sorbara)
Sorbara - Lambrusco of the highest quality, from which worthy wines with excellent aromas are obtained.
A distinctive feature of this Lambrusco variety is abnormal flowering, when the vine sheds flowers, due to which the yield decreases (in some years up to 30%). This leads to a higher concentration of flavoring substances: so the loss in quantity is more than compensated for by the addition of quality. In color, it is the lightest of the Lambrusco species. Sparkling is very gentle. The fragrance has a hint of violet. In addition, it is the most acidic of all Lambrusco, so it goes well with greasy dishes and grills. DOC Sorbara allows the use of salamino varieties in these wines, but not more than 40%.
Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro
(Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro)
This wine is inky red in color, with raspberry foam, with aromas of violet, strawberry, fresh plum and black cherry. It is more full-bodied and contains more alcohol and noticeably more tannins than other Lambrusco wines.
Grasparossa is powerful enough to cope with the local specialty zampone (pork leg skin lined with minced pork). If the label says DOC Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro, then the wine must contain at least 85% Lambrusco Grasparossa. The remaining 15% may be other Lambrusco or Malbo Gentile
Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce
(Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce)
If you see such an inscription on the label, then this is a wine made at least 90% from Lambrusco salamino, possibly with the addition of Bruniola and Ancellotta varieties. This wine is produced in dry and semi-sweet versions, in the frizzante style (semi-sparkling). The variety got its name because of its dense cylindrical bunches, resembling loaves of salami sausage.
Like Lambrusco sorbara, this wine is designed to be drunk when young. It perfectly complements the local specialty - kotechino (slow-cooked pork sausages).
Reggiano(Reggiano)
The largest of the regions producing Lambrusco wine. After the name of the province of Reggio Emilia, where these wines are produced. All Reggiano wines are made from variations of Lambrusco, but in addition to sparkling reds, these can be still dry reds and sparkling white wines. Classic Lambrusco is a red sparkling wine made from a mixture of different varieties of this variety, from almost dry to semi-sweet versions.
Reggiano is especially famous for its amabile (semi-sweet) and dolce (sweet) versions, which contain up to 15% partially fermented Anchellotta grapes, giving the wine a natural sweetness; the remaining 85% are other Lambrusco varieties (Maestri, Marani, Monstericco and Salamino).
Sweet versions are usually made semi-sparkling - frizzante. White sparkling wine is made from the same varieties, but without contact with the crests and skins of the berries, in order to avoid color and enrichment of the wine with tannins. Pink - with short contact with the skin of the grapes.
The best examples of Reggiano are a perfect balance of ripeness, fullness and acidity, which goes well with local food: zampone, Parma ham, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Lambrusco Mantovano(Lambrusco Mantovano)
Lambrusco mantovano is a separate DOC (controlled territory of origin of wine) in Lombardy. And this is the only territory outside the traditional Lambrusco Emilia-Romagna, where its production is allowed.
Although the area around the city of Mantua received DOC status only in 1987, the history of local winemaking goes back centuries and dates back to the days of the Benedictines.
The wine-growing area lies between the northern banks of the Po River and the city of Mantua itself in the south-eastern part of Lombardy - where it wedges between the neighboring regions of Emilia-Romagna and Veneto.
Here Lambrusco is usually made dry - both rosso (red) and rosato (pink), although there are a few semi-dry versions. The alcohol content is typically low.
According to the DOC, Lambrusco Mantovano wine must be 85% composed of the varieties of Lambrusco Vyadanese (Viadanese, here called Grapello Ruperti), Maestri (Maestri), Marani and / or Salamino (Salamino). The remaining 15% are Ancellotta, Brugnola, aka Fortana, Sorbara and / or Grasparossa, here called Grappello Grasparossa.
These wines have a ruby color and a bouquet reminiscent of the scent of violets.
Serve lambrusco should be chilled to about 10 degrees (Celsius). However, if this is a very simple option, with an unpretentious rough bouquet, then it makes sense to cool it down by another 2-3 degrees.
How is Lambrusco different from champagne?
Strictly speaking, there is nothing in common between champagne and Lambrusco, except for the presence of bubbles and a similar bottle shape.
- Variety. Lambrusco is made from the eponymous and other local varieties that are not grown in France at all.
- Taste . Depends not only on the variety, but also to a very large extent - on the place where the grapes are grown and the method of production. Therefore, even if Lambrusco was made from the same varieties and in the same way as champagne, the taste would still be different (due to the difference in climate, soil composition, etc.)
- Manufacturing method... Lambrusco is produced using a simplified technology, which is called the "Charm method", and champagne - using a complex and expensive "classic champagne technology".
- Colour . Champagne is never red. The maximum is pink.
- Sweetness . Lambrusco is often made sweet. Champagne is almost always a dry and very dry wine.
Lambrusco is the name of a red wine grape variety (more precisely, a number of varieties) and an Italian sparkling wine with a bright fruity bouquet, produced in the Emilia-Romagna region (and partly in Lombardy).
What is Lambrusco like?
Differences Lambrusco from Champagne
There are many confusing stories around Lambrusco. Initially, this name simply meant "wild grape wine" and referred to a number of local varieties, many of which are still used today: Grasparossa, Maestri, Marani, Monstericco, Salamino, Sorbara. And all these are different varieties of Lambrusco, despite the fact that in many sources they are called clones of the same variety. Now the names of these varieties are used as "brands" of wine to distinguish the palette of results that these local varieties can produce.
More on this below.
Learning to understand wines
Lambrusco's story is amazing and sad at the same time.
On the one hand, it is a beautiful grape that has been around for many years. When you drink Lambrusco, you are drinking wine that the ancient Romans enjoyed. They loved Lambrusco wine. It was not difficult to grow, it produced good yields and was very popular. It is quite possible to imagine Caesar sipping Lambrusco from his goblet, eating a slice of cheese and looking around his domain ...
Over the past centuries, many varieties of Lambrusco have been born. By the end of the 20th century, ampelographs numbered more than 60 varieties of this variety. This can be difficult for novice wine drinkers to understand. If we take, for example, the Chardonnay grape, then it is all genetically identical. It was enough many centuries ago to find the perfect Chardonnay - and many years later we still have copies of that very first vine. Just like in the case, for example, with Red Delicious apples.
However, in the case of Lambrusco, things are not so simple. In the wild, it is easily pollinated from vines of other varieties - as happens, say, with dandelions and other wild flowers. The result is a range of Lambrusco varieties. Yes, they taste similar - just as all dandelions look similar - but still, they are not exactly the same as most modern wine varieties.
The star and the sadness of the Lambrusco path
When the 1970s came, the fashion for cheap sweet wine came to America, and Lambrusco became extremely popular there. It was cheap, and despite the fact that this wine is also made in dry version, Italians filled the American market with sweet varieties because the consumer demanded it.
So that's it. The sad part of Lambrusco's history begins with the development of the taste of wine lovers. In the Soviet Union, too, the majority preferred semi-sweet and sweet wines. And even the prestigious lines of the Massandra collections at that time were fortified and sweet, in particular, muscat wines.
Now a different era has come, with different preferences and ideas about what "good wine" should be. And everything that was popular in the Soviet Union and America of the 70s automatically falls into the category of “not that”. Not only sweet wine fell under this cliché, but also rose, which is incomprehensible to many today. Because of the fashion for style and color of wine, many people miss worthy and interesting samples of "unfashionable" wines - both in the inexpensive and in the premium segment: from the democratic pink Portuguese "Vino Verde" to the luxurious sweet Austrian "Iceweins".
Lambrusco from Australia
In an effort to uphold their reputation, Italians are attempting to limit the use of the name Lambrusco on labels exclusively to Italian winemakers. For the reasons described above, there is a chance you will come across a bottle with the inscription "Lambrusco" filled with cheap wine from his not very successful variant. So far, the Lambrusco name has not received the status of a name controlled by origin, as, for example, Champagne and Jerez (although in Italy there is a DOC Lambrusco category that sets the rules for Lambrusco produced in Italy).
What is Lambrusco like?
Sorbara - Lambrusco of the highest quality, from which decent wines with excellent aromas are obtained. A distinctive feature of this Lambrusco variety is abnormal flowering, when the vine sheds flowers, due to which the yield decreases (in some years up to 30%). This leads to a higher concentration of flavoring substances: so the loss in quantity is more than compensated for by the addition of quality. In color, it is the lightest of the Lambrusco species. Sparkling is very gentle. The fragrance has a hint of violet. In addition, it is the most acidic of all Lambrusco, therefore it goes well with greasy dishes and grills. DOC Sorbara allows the use of the Salamino variety in these wines, but not more than 40%.
Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro
(Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro)
