Lambrusco
Lambrusco (
The most highly rated of its wines are the
Grape
The most commonly found six Lambrusco varieties are Lambrusco Grasparossa, Lambrusco Maestri, Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Montericco, Lambrusco Salamino, and Lambrusco Sorbara. All of these various Lambrusco grapes are indigenous to Emilia and neither clones nor sub-clones. Most Lambruscos are made from more than one Lambrusco variety and additionally often blended with a number of specific blending grapes (max. 15%), such as
By the end of the 20th century,
Italian wine
Today, there are various levels of dryness / sweetness, including secco (bone dry / dry), amabile (off-dry / sweet) and dolce (very sweet). Sweet Lambrusco became hugely popular in the United States in the late 1970s–1980s, reaching a high of over 13 million cases exported to the country in 1985. The wine is noted for high acidity and berry flavours. Many of the wines now exported to the United States include a blend of Lambruscos from the different DOCs and are sold under the indicazione geografica tipica (IGT) designation Emilia.[3]
The wine is rarely made in a "champagne" (metodo classico) style; instead, it is typically made using the Charmat process where a second fermentation is conducted in a pressurized tank.[5]
Wine regions
- Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro – the smallest wine-producing region located south of the town of Modena. The region is home to Grasparossa of which the DOC requires 85% of the wine to be composed of lambrusco. The wine of this region is typically dry and tannic Lambrusco.[1]
- Lambrusco Mantovano – the only major Lambrusco region outside of Emilia Romagna, in the Lombardy region. This style is typically dry, but some semi-dry styles are also made.[6]
- Lambrusco Reggiano – the largest producing region of Lambrusco and the source of most of the exported DOC designated wines. The 4 Lambrusco grapes that can be used are Maestri, Marani, Montericco, and Salamino. Up to 15% of added Ancellotta grapes are permitted in the DOC as well. The sweet versions of the wine are typically in the light bodied frizzante style while the drier wines are more full bodied and darker in color.[3]
- Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce – located 7 miles (11 km) west of the village Sorbara, the wines of this region must be composed of at least 90% of the local Salamino. The wines are typically light in color and body with a frizzante style being both made in both semi-sweet and dry styles.[3] The variety gets its name from the resemblance of the grape clusters to a sausage of salami.[4]
- Lambrusco di Sorbara – located north of Modena near the village of Sorbara, Sorbara is generally regarded as the highest quality variety producing the most fragrant wines. It has some similarities to Lambrusco Salamino but produces a darker and more full-bodied wine. The color can range from a deep ruby to a purplish hue. In this wine region only Sorbara and Salamino are permitted in the DOC designated wine with at least 60% needing to be Sorbara.[3] The Salamino and Sorbara varieties tend to produce the most acidic wines. One of the reasons why Sorbara tends to produce the highest quality Lambrusco is the tendency of the vine to drop its flowers, which reduces fruit yields and concentrates flavors.[1]
- Casteller – in Trentino, Lambrusco is allowed as a blending grape in the red wine blends of Casteller DOC.[7]
Other regions
In Australia a number of cheaper bottled and box wines are produced by Australian vineyards and sold as "Lambrusco". They are typically medium-sweet, around 10% ABV and styled as an "easy drinking" product.
In Argentina, Lambrusco Maestri accounts for several hundred planted hectares.[2]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 1-85732-999-6
- ^ ISBN 0-19-860990-6
- ^ ISBN 0-7645-5355-0
- ^ ISBN 0-15-100714-4
- ISBN 1-56305-434-5
- ISBN 0-7645-5355-0
- ^ "Casteller DOC". Quattrocalici (in Italian). Retrieved 29 July 2023.
External links
- Consortium for the Historic Mark of Modenese Lambrusco
- Eric Asimov "Lambrusco, No Joke" New York Times July 26, 2006
- Emilia-Romagna map with details on Lambrusco wine