Is Lambrusco A Serious Wine?

Hi Considering the Lambrusco is often made in a light and easy to drink off-dry style, can it be looked upon as a serious wine? Or it's a fun wine for beginners whose palate have not yet developed to appreciate sophisticated wine? Thanks

Reply to
Raymond
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Vilco should pick up this thread.

Reply to
Mike Tommasi

I know what you mean by your description of Lambrusco. That is the sort of industrial wine usually found in the US and likely in the Orient also. Portugal also sells a lot of cheap, red slightly sparkling wine. However there are much better grades of Lambrusco. First they can vary in color from red through pink. Also some of them are much drier than what you usually find at your corner liquor store. The better ones also are more expensive than the industrial stuff. The best is likely to be labeled secco, that has a second fermentation in the bottle and may contain a bit of sediment. According to Hugh Johnson, some of the better wines, that sometimes can be found at select stores outside of Italy, include those from Bellei, Caprari, Casali, Cavicchioli, Graziano, Lini Oreste, Medici Ermete(Concerto), Rinaldo Rinaldini, Venturini Baldini. It might be worth buying single bottles of any of these that you can locate in your area to see if you like any of them. I hope you have better luck finding them than I do in the central US. Of course some companirs produce both industrial and fine Lambrusco.

Reply to
cwdjrxyz

Mi e' parso che snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com abbia scritto:

Exactly. WHat the OP talks about, and you've perfectly described here, is "plonk" lambrusco. Now, let's go on with the real thing ;)

Yes, Grasparossa being the most colored and potentially strong, with lower yield, higher sugar contents and higher polyphenols in the berries' skin (what's the right technical word for the skin?).

That is the traditional style Lambrusco, made in this almost-champenoise method but without both liqueur de tirage and degorgement, thus the possibility to find sediment.

Hey, this Johnson guy knows what he's saying: these are the best producers around, apart this Graziano I din't know of. Bellei (too pricey IMHO) and Cavicchioli are in the "Lambrusco di Sorbara" DOC area, in Modena, while the others are in the Reggiano DOC area or "Colli di Scandiano e Canossa" DOC area, both in Reggio Emilia. The DOC areas in Reggio Emilia are just two: one for the hills ("Colli di Scandiano e Canossa") and one for the lowland ("Reggiano") while in Modena they did cut three area based on the main variety of Lambrusco grapes used: "Grasparossa di Castelvetro" in the hills, "Sorbara" in the middle, along the Via Emilia, and "Salamino di Santa Croce" in the lowland towards the river Po. Parma also produces lambrusco in it's only DOC area: "Colli di Parma".

True, one example is Cantine Riunite from Reggio Emilia: they produce both cheap plonk and good quality lambrusco, and the good one is labeled "Cuvee dei Fondatori" (three styles: Grasparossa, Reggiano and Sorbara) or it is labeled "Novecento" with a silver label. Another who makes both plonk and good lambrusco is Ermete medici, whose Concerto I consider to be the best Lambrusco around, for about 4,10 euros: he also produces a line priced around 2 euros per bottle, which it is noticeably better than the Riunite bottles of the same price tag. All these Lambruscos are sparkling, but there is also someone vinificating not-sparkling lambrusco, as Rinaldini: theyr Moro del Moro and Vigna del Picchio are both ageworty reds averaging

15 euros the first and 9 the latter. The MdM is made from raisins almost like an Amarone and this adds up to its body, making it an ageworthy, structurated velvety red. No doubt, Moro del Moro is the best wine from Reggio Emilia, and in the next few weeks I'm going at the wineyard to get my Christmas fix of Moro del Moro ;)

BTW - This year my "Christmas fix tour" will start at Picci in Cavriago for Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, then continue on to Rinaldini for wine and then jump to Collecchio, Parma, for 36 and

60 months old Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. "It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it" :)))
Reply to
Vilco

Mi e' parso che Vilco abbia scritto:

I forgot one thing, Acellotta. It is a variety of Lambrusco often used to add color to wines, but not only lambrusco: it gets sold in all italy.

Reply to
Vilco

"Skin" is perfectly OK.

M.

Reply to
Michael Pronay

Mi e' parso che Michael Pronay abbia scritto:

Danke ;)

Reply to
Vilco

Is Ashlee Simpson a serious singer?

Raym> Hi

Reply to
uraniumcommittee

Ermete, whose

Wine writer Matt Kramer agrees with you: "A Lambrusco can be GREAT."

For a list of on- and off-line "Concerto" US retailers, go to

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Reply to
conceptwine

A lot of restaurants in Emilia-Romagna make their own---They are very good to excellent---fresh & fragrant-----Reunite, Canei etc have ruined the market for decent lambrusco----most wholesalers will not buy any lambrusco priced at least 20% higher then the plonk--I tried in the Mid-Atlantic states. Only the top areas for a full range of wines from Italy--Montreal, Boston, New York city area, Washington DC, Chicago, Detroit, St Louis, San Francisco, Los Angeles--- The fact Gallo is now selling Wines from the Veneto (Bella Sera) or copying sweet Italian wines--Ballatore visa vis Asti----have not marketed a Lambrusco and niche marketers like Wine Bow & DiGrazia aren't selling Lambrusco in North America.

Reply to
Joe "Beppe"Rosenberg

Don't know who Canei is, but I totally agree on Riunite. They have put a really bad name on Lambrusco.

Reply to
Vilco

I've liked a Lambrusco from Cantine Ceci. I think a few decent Lambruscos are making it into states now.

Reply to
DaleW

Was it Otello nero, by any chance? I had it circa one year ago with some friends of the italian NG, including good ol' Mike T. , in Fornovo, not far from Ceci's wineyards: a good bottle by this once-mediocre producer. Just as Cantine RIunite did, this Ceci started to produce a top line who can make you forget the base products, if you stay far from the latter. Nice event, too, Vins de Vignerons. I can't wait for this year's issue, and for Binner's whites.

Reply to
Vilco

Reply to
DaleW

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