Page 12 - Italian American Herald - February 2020

12 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | FEBRUARY 2020 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD
VINI D’ITALIA
Lambrusco, once derided, undergoing renaissance of sorts
By Frank Cipparone
When I last
wrote about Emilia Romagna, I glossed over the region’s most important grape, describing Lambrusco
as “fizzy, light-hearted and easy to drink,” the “go-to Italian wine of the 1970s.” While not altogether inaccurate, that may have been damning with less-than-faint praise what is possibly the oldest extended family of grapes in Italy.
What isn’t debatable is that like many other wines of that time, Lambrusco was readily available and cheap to the point that it was written off as nothing more thanbubbly, wine- flavored soda pop, the ultimate drink-don’t-think wine. It was commonly served over ice, a vinous version of vermouth. A current comparison would be Prosecco or Moscato, both of which are wildly popular but, like Lambrusco of old, all over the place as far as what’s in your glass.
Also true is that once over-produced
and sneered at, Lambrusco is undergoing
a renaissance of sorts. Although bubble- gummy, cloyingly fruity bottles can still be had, there are distinctive Lambruscos on the market that are dry and semi-dry, making
them among the most adaptable wines for pairing not only with Italy’s regional cuisines but just about anything you can put on a plate.
Even better, most are in the $15-$20 range. Lambrusco’s rebirth is not so much a
complete overhaul as going back to methods that existed generations ago. Traditionally made dry with crisp acidity, the process
was capped by allowing the wine to finish fermenting in bottle, giving it the suave, mildly frizzante lift found in sparkling
wine. That process was time-consuming and laborious.
The Charmant method replaced the bottle with steel tanks. Combine large containers with speed and you get a tremendous increase in production. The byproduct was an easier and eventually more profitable way to churn out low quality sweet wines. It’s hard to fault the winemakers. Bills had to be paid, even at the expense of tarnishing Lambrusco’s historically stellar reputation.
Similar to Chianti, Valpolicella and other areas whose wines had lost their way, some Emilia estates recognized that Lambrusco was suffering an identity crisis and changes were needed to avoid being banished to the bottom shelf of the wine shop.
First was a return to secondary fermentation in bottle with no filtration, leaving sediment to form. Those who stuck
to Charmant increased the time in tank from three to five days to three weeks or more, adding depth and complexity.
Revamping what’s done after harvest means nothing without rethinking what’s done in the vineyard. The first step was finding the best sites to plant and lowering the yield per acre to get more fully developed grapes. Then it was time to send in the clones, taking grafts from carefully selected old vines to start new plantings. Where once any of a dozen Lambrusco varieties would be haphazardly thrown together, now there are notable differences that pinpoint which Lambrusco you’re drinking and where it comes from.
The three main types, with DOCs dedicated to them, are cultivated in the province of Modena. The wines made from them have different characteristics. Each DOC produces wines labeled frizzante, which can be dry red, sweet red, or rosato. They are bottled with the same type of cork and seal as champagne.
Lambrusco di Sorbara is the most well-known, ideally suited to the fertile
soils north of the city of Modena. Considered the most refined and lightest of the three, its violet aromas are so intense old-timers called it Lambrusco della Viola. One taste is all you need to drink in flavors of strawberry, cherry and citrus fruits. The crisp, lively sparkling
acidity of a dry red Sorbara is best enjoyed with a plate of prosciutto di Parma and other charcuterie or any of the fatty foods of “La Grassa” (Fat Country), the nickname of nearby cities that are the gastronomic heart of Italy.
Lambrusco do Grasparosa, also referred