Lambrusco über alles

For decades it has been dismissed as a simple sparkling red. In reality, Lambrusco is one of Italy’s most identifiable and technically complex wines. From Maestri to Sorbara, from Charmat to Metodo Classico, journey into a much more serious – and fascinating – oenological universe than we think. It is told by Vinogodi, who is from Parma and knows a lot about Lambrusco.

There are wines that make a lot of noise and others that simply work. Lambrusco belongs to the second category. It works at the table, it works in trattorias, it works in high-end restaurants and even in the trendiest wine bars.

It is one of the most drunk wines in Italy and, probably, also one of the most misunderstood. Because behind that cheerful and convivial bubble is actually hidden one of the most articulate wine heritages of our country.

Planet Lambrusco

Let us start with a premise that may seem provocative but in recent years has become almost self-evident: Lambrusco is one of the most successful wines in the Italian tradition. The trade press, guides, critics, the drinking population, wine enthusiasts, wine merchants, restaurants, wine bars/bottle shops, winebars, vegans and even teetotalers say so.

It is drunk everywhere, works at the table like few other wines, and has an almost unique ability to adapt to the most diverse settings.

But above all, Lambrusco Is not “a” wine. It is a planet.

A planet made of infinite facets given by different grape varieties that express its many breaths, ancestral interpretations, unique characteristics, personalities that shout out a terroir, a producer, and an over-the-top technique. An astonishing amount of nuance for a wine that many still consider simply “sparkling.”

Between Napoleon, Verdi and the Bassa Parmense

The history of Lambrusco is intertwined with that of the Emilian plain and its illustrious figures. It is reported that Napoleon Bonaparte, on the pretext of visiting Maria Luigia of Austria in the palace of Colorno, would always find time for a gastronomic stop in the Parma lowlands among culatello, cotechino, cappelletti and Lambrusco Maestri. Maria Luigia herself would dawdle in the palace feeling neglected by her mentor who preferred “cotechino and Lambrusco” to the far more literary “women and Champagne.”

And it seems that Giuseppe Verdi, in his Terre Verdiane, found more than one moment of inspiration between a bottle of Lambrusco and a slice of raw Palasone shoulder.

Legends? Perhaps. But very believable.

Even the super-starred ante litteram, Cantarelli of Sanboseto (a pleasant hamlet in Parma’s Terre Verdiane), albeit a forerunner in the sale of Champagne in his historic checkered tablecloth inn, boasted the sensory superiority of the sparkling nectar of his homeland.

There is no such thing as “the” Lambrusco

In fact, the term Lambrusco indicates a family of indigenous grape varieties, which has been widespread for centuries between Modena, Reggio Emilia, Parma and, beyond the Po, in the Mantuan Oltrepò.

The best known are:

• Lambrusco di Sorbara
• Lambrusco Salamino
• Lambrusco Grasparossa
• Lambrusco Maestri
• Lambrusco Marani
• Lambrusco Montericco

Each province has its own protagonist.

A Parma Lambrusco Maestri dominates, in Reggio Emilia Marani and Salamino, while Modena – always the home of Lambrusco – plays with three major cards: his majesty Sorbara, Salamino di Santa Croce and Grasparossa di Castelvetro.

Not to be forgotten is the Lambrusco Viadanese, grown in the Mantuan area, a Lombard enclave but culturally and enogastronomically very Emilian.

All producers in these provinces periodically equip themselves with the addition of a real “ampelographic doping,” the Ancellotta variety, which serves to correct a little bit of everything.

A technical wine, not a “little wine”

One of the most common mistakes is to consider Lambrusco a simple wine. In reality it is a technically complex wine, which requires great expertise both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

The production techniques are different:

• Charmat or Martinotti method (autoclave refermentation)
• Ancestral method (refermentation in the bottle without disgorging)
• Classical Method (refermentation in the bottle)

Each oenological choice profoundly changes the character of the wine, from the immediate freshness of the sparkling wines to the complexity of the Metodo Classico, the latest, splendid evolution.

The big surprise: it can get old

For a long time it was thought that Lambrusco was a wine to be drunk immediately, in the year of harvest itself. Today we know that this is not the case at all.

More structured versions-especially those made with Metodo Classico or from old vines-can evolve for many years, developing aromatic complexity and a surprisingly elegant flavor texture (to read in this regard Lini’s vertical tasting of Lambrusco Metodo Classico 910).

With age, the wine changes face: the explosive fruit of youth, as well as the cheerful, carefree effervescence, give way to deeper sensations, including spices, balsamic notes and tertiary nuances.

A democratic wine

An incredible aspect of Lambrusco is that it can be called a universal wine: it adapts to all meals with all foods, all seasons, all serving temperatures, all occasions, all stylistic and fashionable evolutions. It has lively acidity, light tannin, refreshing effervescence and moderate alcohol content.

È inclusive because it does not distinguish between genders or trends: it is “sparkling,” always pleasant, never tires, costs the right amount, has “restrained” alcohol content and serves its purpose.

Also noteworthy is the democratic, if extremely selective, average quality not necessarily related to “small is beautiful.” extraordinary results occur from both small vignerons and large wineries that have decided to segment their best vineyards, oldest plantings, strict selections from large quantities and extensions.

In conclusion

And perhaps therein lies the paradox of Lambrusco. It is one of the most drunk wines in Italy, one of the most recognizable and one of the most deeply rooted in the country’s gastronomic culture. It is perhaps the wine of conviviality par excellence.

Yet it continues, from time to time, to have to prove that it is a serious wine.

As if centuries of history, millions of bottles drunk with pleasure, and an ability to sit at the table that many emblazoned wines can only envy were not enough.

Lambrusco über alles, then. And not just in jest.