Lambrusco: It’s Time to Reconsider It
Written by Erika Sato
A view of the Romagna lowlands, Photo by Roberto GRAMELLINI on Unsplash
Lambrusco (Lam-broos-ko) is a grape known for making fizzy, semi-sweet, commercial, bulk wines, a la Riunite in the 1960’s.
Wait, what? Talk about a grape and a wine that gets no respect. Nothing wrong with Riunite Lambrusco, except that most serious wine drinkers will dismiss a Lambrusco out of hand.
Let’s talk a little history. Riunite played a huge part in introducing the wine made from the Lambrusco grape to the United States back in the 1960’s, and it still shapes the perception of the grape and wine even now.
Lambrusco’s “home”, if you will, the place that calls the grape its own, is Emilia-Romagna, a wine region in northern Italy. Actually, Lambrusco production is more centered in Emilia – the western part of the region. Emilia also makes lots of still wines based on Vinifera, like sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.
Emilia-Romagna is claimed to be the gastronomic apex in Italy, the home to Parmigiano-Reggiano, balsamic vinegar, cured meats and sausages. Lambrusco is made to complement these foods – the perfect food wine. The best examples of Lambrusco are actually not sweet, but are dry and savory. There are at least 13 different varieties of Lambrusco used in making the wine. Depending on the variety, you can get wines that are lighter in style with red fruits and flowers (e.g. Lambrusco di Sorbara), or wines that are more black fruited with more tannin and earthiness (e.g. Lambrusco grasparossa, Lambrusco salamino).
Lambrusco is also usually slightly fizzy (frizzante) rather than bubbly (spumante). As such, it generally undergoes the secondary fermentation using pressurized tanks (Charmat method), although some do use the traditional method. The sweetness levels are designated by the designations Secco (dry), Semisecco (off-dry), and “Dolce” or “Amabile” (sweet).
Didn’t think you’d get an Italian lesson in a wine article, did you?
Moving along.
I mentioned before that Lambrusco was made to pair perfectly with the foods in the region. I also said that it was the perfect food wine. Why, am I so excited about Lambrusco right now, you ask?
I just found the perfect wine to pair with barbecue. Let me say that again. The perfect wine. to pair. with. barbecue. With the risk of digressing, I have found it quite difficult in the past to find a wine to pair with the bold, rich, slightly sweet, slightly spicy thing that is barbecue. Most wines wither in its presence, either by not having enough umph/fruit to stand up flavor-wise, or enough acid to cut through the richness or enough… well you get the picture. It also pairs excellently with Jambalaya, I can tell you from recent experience.
What am I drinking now?
F.Illi Bellei Lambrusco di Sorbara, Vino Frizzante Secco
Remember your Italian lesson?
This is a slightly bubbly, salmon colored wine with pink highlights. Lots of red berries, strawberry, red cherry, candy raspberry with hints of underlying rhubarb, white spice and a savory herbaceousness that balances out the candied berry fruit. It’s dry, with intense sweet fruit, balanced acidity and a round mouth feel that nonetheless finishes clean and refreshing.
About the Author
While Erika may not be a Rochester native, she now calls the Flour City home. A Certified Sommelier and WSET level 3 certified, Erika spends her time thinking about the perfect food and wine pairings and finding the right wines for every situation. A self-professed “wine geek”, working at Parkway is the ideal match, as she can spend her time exploring different wine regions and less well-known grapes. She is also passionate about passing along her wine knowledge and enthusiasm for wine to others, and is excited to be able to put together educational and fun wine packs and seminars for our customers.
When not at the store, Erika spends her time practicing and playing music, and hopes to be out performing again soon. She has also been a sales representative and sommelier for a winery and judged numerous national and international wine competitions.