Blog: Lambrusco | Classic

A faithful companion in the summer heat of the Po Valley, an irreplaceable friend in the lavish festivities of Emilia, a partner in a thousand occasions in Italy and overseas, in Europe and on the other side of the world, this sparkling wine from the 'Valley of the Gods' is a generous and humble companion in small and large celebrations. Because of its freshness, it is in demand all over the world, whenever you want to drink a glass of wine in joy and exuberance, unproblematic, even if it does not stop at one glass. It is not easy to talk about a wine so popular, so genuinely Italian, so incomparable, so unique and not to be confused with any other. This seemingly humble sparkling wine is actually made like a great wine, using the method of sparkling wine production in a pressurized tank; its beautiful color shouldn't bother you, and it doesn't. Of course we mean good Lambrusco, because in the trade, unfortunately, you can always find inferior products.

But first it should be said that the name can mean everything and nothing. It can be a DOC or table wine that comes from Reggio Emilia or Modena. If it comes from Modena, it can be Sorbara, Salamino di S. Croce or Grasparossa di Castelvetro. It can be dry or more or sweet. Undoubtedly there is a Lambrusco for every taste, in Milan, for example, people prefer a softer variety, while in Reggio they prefer the dry variety. The Lambrusco from Reggio smells of raspberries and currants, has a rounded taste, more body and is softer than its cousin from Modena. Sorbara smells of violets, its taste is savory and acidic. Grasparossa di Castelvetro and Salamino di S. Croce stand out for their fruity bouquet.

As I said, for every taste there is a suitable representative of this red sparkling wine, each has its enthusiastic followers who would not even exchange it for two bottles of another variety. This wine has always been a wine 'for all days' and still is. The first written records date back to 861 B.C.; as early as 851 of our era, the Church of Modena demanded in writing the delivery of a certain quantity of this wine per year. Cato was also impressed by the enormous quantity of wine pressed in Emilia: 300 amphorae per jugero (a Roman amphora held 28 liters and a jugero was equivalent to 2580 square meters).

But let's leave the history of this wine, rich in interesting events, and come to our days: up to 2 million hectoliters are produced annually (DOC and table wine). This is a huge amount of wine, but it is sold without much effort at home and abroad, although a certain percentage of the total production goes to distillation. For comparison, Italy alone consumes as much red sparkling wine as the exporting countries combined. That's quite a lot. Given the decline in red wine consumption, Lambrusco consumption has so far remained unchanged - which can be considered a success. Lambrusco, in fact, is a wine that, like a chameleon, disguises itself as a white wine in summer, fresh and light, while in the cold and foggy winter of the Po Valley it becomes a true red wine, drunk with strong, hearty dishes. - Gerardo