Giving meaning to anything requires vision, especially if the object of attention is a grape or a wine, from a place, assigned to one particular calendar day. Press releases inundate our inboxes on what seems like a weekly basis, asking us to celebrate a day dedicated to world this or world that. Not easy to get on board or find the passion, climb onto that train or get behind whatever the marketing case (or cause) may be. Then along comes World Lambrusco Day. Whoever heard of such an animal? What is this concept, this idea of surrendering an entire day in exultation of esoteric sparkling virtues? But the subject is Lambrusco! Wines created from real plants possessive of functional virtue, made from a family of twelve indigenous black grape varieties, out of six designations espousing Modena and Reggio Emilia provinces, from the plains to the hills. World Lambrusco Day: Yes indeed. Different, suggestive of something diverse, entirely significant. The press releases succeed in attracting full attention. But wait, there’s so much more.

The Place

Within the region of Emilia-Romagna is the Emilian landscape, home to Lambrusco and six growing zones where summers are hot and humid, winters too and fog often drapes the land. The two provinces of Modena and Reggio-Emilia are where the gentle rolling foothills of the Apennines play host to the 12 varieties of grapes. While the trend in the Modena area is to focus on a single variety, the Reggiano area traditionally uses a blend of different varieties.

The Varieties

They are, in no particular order, Lambrusco di Sorbara, Lambrusco Grasparossa, Lambrusco Salamino, Lambrusco Foglia Frastagliata, Lambrusco Barghi, Lambrusco Maestri, Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Montericco, Lambrusco Oliva, Lambrusco Viadanese, Lambrusco Benetti and Lambrusco Pellegrino. Of special interest is the fact that Sorbara is a sterile male variety while the Salamino can actually fertilize in order to perpetuate the Sorbara.

The Disciplinare

• Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC: 60 percent minimum Lambrusco di Sorbara, (40 maximum) Lambrusco Salamino, (15 maximum) 
  other Lambrusco
• Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro: 85 percent minimum Lambrusco Grasparossa, (15 other) Lambrusco and Malbo Gentile

• Colli di Scandiano e di Canossa: Colli di Scandiano e di Canossa Lambrusco – 85 percent minimum Lambrusco Maestri, Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Salamino, Lambrusco Barghi (jointly or separately), 15 percent maximum Malbo Gentile, Marzemino, Croatina, Sgavetta, Termarina, and Perla dei Vivi; Colli di Scandiano e di Canossa Lambrusco Grasparossa – 85 percent minimum Lambrusco Grasparossa, (15 maximum) Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Montericco, Ancellotta, Malbo Gentile and Croatina; Colli di Scandiano e di Canossa Lambrusco Montericco – 85 percent minimum Lambrusco Montericco, (15 maximum) Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Grasparossa, Lambrusco Salamino, Malbo Genitle, Ancellotta and Croatina

• Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce: 85 percent minimum Lambrusco Salamino, (15 maximum other) Lambrusco, Ancellotta, and Fortana

• Modena DOC: 85 percent minimum Lambrusco Grasparossa, Lambrusco Salamino, Lambrusco di Sorbara; Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Maestri, Lambrusco Montericco, Lambrusco Oliva, Lambrusco a foglia frastagliata (jointly or separately), (15 maximum) Ancellotta, Malbo Gentile, Fortana
• Reggiano DOC: Reggiano DOC Lambrusco – 85 percent minimum Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Salamino, Lambrusco Montericco, Lambrusco Maestri, Lambrusco di Sorbara, Lambrusco Grasparossa, Lambrusco Viadanese, Lambrusco Oliva, Lambrusco Barghi (jointly or separately), (15 maximum) Ancellotta, Malbo Gentile, Lambrusco a foglia frastagliata, Fogarina; Reggiano DOC Lambrusco Salamino – 85 percent minimum Lambrusco Salamino, (15 maximum) Ancellotta, Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco di Sorbara and Malbo Gentile

The Consortium

The Consorzio Tutela Lambrusco is responsible for the protection of Lambrusco wine, a role not taken lightly because these are oft imitated wines and styles, because they are popular and they are great. Ancrestale, a.k.a. Pét-Nat styled Lambrusco is as old as dirt and there is an argument to be made that the original Lambrusco was in fact a Pét-Nat. The French may lay claim to many things but Ancestrale method sparkling wine? That one is up for debate. The CTL is a protective organization representing 70 wine producers. There are approximately 16,600 hectares of vineyards total in the two provinces, of which approximately 10,000 are dedicated to Lambrusco with a production exceeding 40 million bottles of Lambrusco DOC in 2022. To add to these figures, there are approximately 100 million bottles of Lambrusco Emilia IGT that fall under the protection of the Consorzio Vini Emilia [Emilia Wines Consortium]. Fun fact however because the Consorzio was only just created in January 2021 with the merger by incorporation of three Emilian wine consortiums: Consorzio Tutela del Lambrusco di Modena, Consorzio per la Tutela e la Promozione dei Vini DOP Reggiano e Colli di Scandiano e Canossa and Consorzio di Tutela Vini del Reno DOC. Claudio Biondi is the President, Davide Frascari is the Vice President, and Giacomo Savorini is the Director.

Export

Germany and the United States are the markets with the highest volumes. China and Japan are the leading energing markets, followed by South America, Mexico and Brazil, as well as the United Kingdom. Overall, between DOC and (above all) IGT, about 60 percent of production leaves the country. Come on Canada!

World Lambrusco Day

The first edition of World Lambrusco Day was completed in collaboration with APT Servizi Emilia-Romagna and held on June 21 in Paris. Now you get to find out the more – the big reveal. WLD23 was held in the Tour d’Eiffel and it was called “Rediscovering Lambrusco: Terroirs, Styles, Savoir-Faire,” with guests in attendance from Taiwan to the United States, from Brazil to Canada. Yes Canada, which meant Gurvinder Bhatia and Godello. A Masterclass hosted by Gabriele Gorelli M.W. in the Salon Gustave Eiffel, a.k.a. the Gustave Eiffel Reception Room allowed international media the opportunity t taste through 14 examples of Lambrusco following Gorelli’s masterful overview of the region. The class concluded with a cutting of a 24-month old Parmigiano Reggiano because that makes so much sense and the Reggiano Consortium was there to partner with Lambrusco. The journalists were also able to sample Parmigiano Reggiano at three different stages of maturity – 24, 48 and 101 months – and to taste another local speciality, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP (Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO). The icing on the proverbial Emilian cake was a dinner up to the second floor in the Jules Verne Restaurant. Lambrusco wines were paired with an original menu cooked by the eight hands of four international chefs: Frédéric Anton, chef of Le Jules Verne Restaurant, young Austrian prodigy Philip Rachinger and the Japanese-Argentinian duo of Chiho Kanzaki & Marcelo Di Giacomo.

All of this was possible as a result of a collaboration with event partners APT Servizi Emilia-Romagna, the Modena Chamber of Commerce, the Reggio Emilia Chamber of Commerce and Unioncamere Emilia-Romagna. Then there are the Consorzio staff who made the events in Paris become a reality; Chiara Cecchetto, Alice Camellini, Fabio Ferrari and Chiara Crepaldi.  World Lambrusco Day events are scheduled to take place every three years so next up will be New York, in 2026. Hosting WLD triennially and not every year is not only brilliant but also the reason why our undivided attention will focus on Lambrusco whenever it calls. Brava!

Gorelli’s Masterclass

“Italy’s first Master of Wine Gabriele Gorelli‘s charge was to introduce Lambrusco’s new path because it does in fact continue to hold an image as being a rustic, traditional and even ancient wine tethered to the past. The Masterclass was an eye-opener, suggestive of an epiphany if possibly verging on a revelation. The mix of Ancestrale, Traditional and Italian method sparkling wines all made with the range of red Lambrusco varieties showed more than mere diversity, it presented a rough, rowdy, tumble and exciting mix to express an infinite number of future possibilities. The traditional method way of making Lambrusco was all but abandoned when the tank method arrived but producers are marking its return. The current results are astounding and offer a perfectly right and proper foil to the many cherry red, off-dry and simpler iterations so ideally suited to Emilia formaggi and salumi.  Then there are the Ancestrale, they of wild yeasts and the addition of same vines’ grape must to create the secondary fermentation. The results are dry, low alcohol and high acidity wines creating a new truth and vernacular for Lambrusco. 

The Wines

Francesco Bellei E C. Lambrusco Di Sorbara DOC Puro 2013

Traditional method Lambrusco and an example that represents the tiniest of production, so really an experiment for the region. Zero dosage to make it even more particular but also a 2013 vinified like a white wine that spent eight years on the lees. There is an argument to be made that Lambrusco was in fact a Pét-Nat travelling the world so this is not all that unusual – kind of original if you think about it. Aromas are quite Pét-Nat yeasty, low pH and high acid play the act of dichotomous control and if served just a bit warm there is an herbal quality with vibrancy set on high. Highly phenolic, citrus zesty and sharp, sharp, sharp. Nothing has really changed in all this time nor is there any thought that anything will happen, anytime soon. Really tight stuff. The maximum production is 5,000 bottles and this vintage is only 1,000 total. Drink 2023-2029.  Tasted June 2023

Cavicchioli Lambrusco Di Sorbara DOC Rosé Del Cristo 2020

Traditional method, a way of making Lambrusco that was all but abandoned when the tank method arrived but here is an example of its return to form. Spends 36 months on the lees and is anything but an experiment with an average product of 40,000 bottles. Low in alcohol at 11 percent, nearly negligible sweetness with impressive acidity and just what a producer wants in an extra, extra Brut style with low pH. Fruit is really everything in a red vinified sorbara, of currants and pomegranate with mint the dominant herbal character. Shy in a way but inviting and quite frankly there is an aged Reggiano rind note that really makes it interesting. Impressively fine. Drink 2023-2027.  Tasted June 2023

Chiarli Lambrusco Di Modena DOC Quintopasso Rosé 2017

Truly classic producer with a cuvée consisting of fruit drawn off different vineyards from clones cultivated specifically by the estate through its own massale selection. A creamier and more professional wine, “reaching an increasing latitude of palates” with some sweetness, mostly natural, big acidity and more delicacy with pH that persists. Elevated red citrus, or rather a combination of lemon and blood orange with 36-40 months of lees again really bringing the texture. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted June 2023

Silvia Zucchi Lambrusco Di Sorbara DOC Avvincente 2018

Bone dry traditional method Lambrusco, contemporary style in that the lack of sweetness, generous acidity, generosity of (12.5 percent) alcohol and even colour will draw in eyes and therefore also palates. There is a smokiness, almost a char to it, tannic as well, extracted and pressed to seek gravitas and in a way it’s just a bit closed. Spends 36 months on the lees and truth spoken here involves the idea of a really modern Lambrusco, a forward thinking one and that this surely is. Perhaps unusual because of the poly-phenolic and tannic character but this will change, find sous bois, frusta di bosco and other complex elements. Drink 2024-2028.  Tasted June 2023

Paltrinieri Lambrusco Di Sorbara DOC Radice 2021

Ancrestale, a.k.a. Pét-Nat styled Lambrusco made from sorbara, here from grapes grown in the narrow strip between the Secchia and Panaro rivers. Wild yeast and then the addition of same vines’ grape must creates the second fermentation with the result being a dry, low alcohol (11 percent), really high (just about 10) acidity and a new truth created then spoken way for Lambrusco. Clean, pink grapefruit sharp yet generous, expansive and with an herb selvatica quality. Defines sapidity for sorbara and its DOC. Not to mention an ideal vintage for making top quality Lambrusco from the healthiest grapes. Anyone who could not drink the you know what out of this Lambrusco is clearly not paying attention. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted June 2023

Venturini Baldini Lambrusco Di Sorbara DOC Cadelvento

Here a bit of a blend, dominated by sorbara and with 15 percent grasparossa made in the Charmat method for sparkling wine. Hard to not imagine the first scent as cotton candy in a good way, sweetness present yet subtle and as Lambrusco must be, this is yet another example of sapidity so essential in the wines. Almost chalky, calcari of feel and yet not exactly salty. Definite tannic punch, helped and urged on by the grasparossa. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted June 2023

Pezzuoli Lambrusco Di Sorbara DOC Frizzante Pietrarossa

Charmat method and true red vlnification with an extended maceration, extracted, elevating sugars to meet acidity times pH for clean, red berry, gummy bear effect. Some carbonic here to maintain freshness, keep the poly-phenolic distraction to a minimum and maximize fruitiness. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted June 2023

Ventiventi Lambrusco di Modena DOC La Vie 2022

From the broader DOC of Modena and a most modernized estate looking to bring Lambrusco to a next and next after that generation. Low alcohol, running up the sugars and maintaining excitability. Called La Vie for a reason, soft, round, extracted and creamy, pink all the way, certainly attractive to a want to join the party kind of audience. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted June 2023

Medici Ermete Lambrusco Reggiano DOC Concerto 2021

Made from 100 percent palomino even though it’s origin is Lambrusco Reggiano DOC. Concerto is always an intense wine, here from Reggio Emilia – Tenuta la Rampata. Crunchy dark red fruit, ripe and fleshy, some smoulder and then boom – fruity, salty, tannic and mouth-coating. Terrific breadth and density under the auspices of proper balance, everything elevated though of a powdery quality liquifying and finding equilibrium. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted June 2023

Cantina Di Carpi E Sorbara Lambrusco Salomon Di Santa Croce DOC Dedicato Ad Alfredo Molinari

From the municipality of Modena in the northerly parts, Santa Croce area and a fantastic combination of freshness and fierceness. The Gabriele Gorelli described savoir-faire Lambrusco style with sorbara as a true protagonist for red macerated sparkling wine of true parochial sapidity. There is density here but also intensity. A bit vivid but no matter really. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted June 2023

Lombardini Lambrusco Reggiano DOC Lambrusco Brut

Charmat method yet longer maceration and so both tannins and herbal Amaro signs emerge with less energy, freshness and depth. Big and bruised, almost brooding, definitely a pouch of fruit, char, caper pickling and dark fruit intensity. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted June 2023

Tenuta Galvana Superiore Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC Cà Imperatore

From older (45-plus) year-old vineyards on clay with higher pH and lower acidity for a dense if rounded palate like Lambrusco. Not salty by any stretch but certainly heavy set in terms of fruit and its extraction. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted June 2023

Zanasi Scietà Agricola Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC Bruno Zanasi

Serious tradition involved here, from the Grasparossa area and a real herbaceous, almost cabernet franc character. Flavour recalls dark cherries and especially cherry pits, while also herbal and vinous but the sugar is at the higher point for Charmat method Lambrusco, harvested for increased phenolic presence and culpability. Or Beaujolais perhaps, generous enough of acidity and really elevated pH for this sapid-phenolic expression that is what it is. Drink 2023-2024. Tasted June and August 2023

Albinea Canali Lambrusco Reggiano DOC Foglie Rosse

From vineyards in the Reggio Emilia areas of Canossa and Scandiano with three Lambrusco varieties in the blend; salamino, marani and lancellotta. Some dirty funk on the nose, phenolic, vinous and tannic but everything is quick and done. Rustic and tight, hard to avoid because that’s what these grape varieties are. That said these are grapes and wines that are capable of adapting to a changing climate, more so the many. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted June 2023

Also tasted in Toronto

Venturini Baldini Marchese Manadori Lambrusco Secco DOP Reggiano

Charmat method and one of the drier examples in that style. Piney resinous but balanced because the lesser sugars, lower pH and higher acids all conspire to act out a really harmonic Lambrusco. Ample fruit in the red, red berry way with a note of wild strawberry and all the greens mixed in make for as complex an Italian Method Lambrusco as you are likely to find. Fine work and result that just about justifies the premium price. Last tasted August 2023

This organic Lambrusco is dry and tannic, with blackberry fruit meeting an earthy to chalky underlay for real elevated style. Lambrusco does not always show this level of complexity but the cherry, violet and tobacco notes swirl to entice and invite. So much more than a sipping sparkling wine into one where some serious food pairing thought should be encouraged. Begin with great prosciutto and parmigiano and nothing could go wrong. Or the best Mortadella you can find. Drink 2022-2025. Tasted October 2022

Good to go!

godello

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