WINE STYLES LAMBRUSCO LAMBRUSCO STAGES A COMEBACK Once a sweet industrial wine, Lambrusco is returning to its heritage. Michèle Shah explains what’s going on. 5/18 MEININGER’S WBI 5/18 MEININGER’S ambrusco, the frizzante red wine from to go international and sweet, which appealed but we need producers across Italy, is back on the fast track after and still appeals to many international the board to re-style their L years in the wilderness. Driven by its emerging markets. The Charmat (tank packaging, giving added value to pleasurable appeal, this fresh, fruity bubbly fermentation) method made it even easier the product. In order to recreate wine – low in alcohol, with an excellent price- to produce Lambrusco on an industrial an image of quality we need all quality ratio – is one of Italy’s top sellers. scale, compared to the traditional Ancestrale players to be sensitive to all “Today’s Lambrusco has little to do with the method, where the wine is re-fermented aspects of production, aiming sickly, sweet fizz that dominated the market in bottle. Today, there are various levels of at a universal expression of in the 1970s and ’80s,” says Alberto Medici, dryness and sweetness available from dry quality.” CEO of Medici Ermete & Figli. He says that in (secco) to off-dry (amabile) to sweet (dolce). According to Ermi recent decades, the market has included more Sweet Lambrusco – the amabile and dolce Bagni, director of high quality Lambrusco in a range of different styles – became extremely popular in the the marketing body styles. And as Lambrusco revamps its image, US in the late 1970s, turning it into a hugely Consorzio Marchio Storico there is a new generation of Millennials and profitable industrial product which set the Lambruschi Modenesi, it Generation X drinkers reaching for a glass. trend in Lambrusco exports for many other is vital that Lambrusco countries around the world, a movement be reconnected to the The wine from Lombardy which paradoxically greatly contributed to traditions, culture the demise of Lambrusco’s image. and gastronomy of Lambrusco is the name of both the wine The colour and flavour of the wine depend its territory, and that and the grape principally grown in the areas on which of the many Lambrusco grape the DOC products and of Modena, Parma and Reggio in the Emilia- varieties are used. (The name of the variety secco, or dry style, should be promoted. “In Romagna region, and Mantua in Lombardy. is usually on the label.) Grasparossa is recent years we have seen a reverse in trend The grape has a long winemaking history, with invariably dark, redolent of blackberries and, regarding IGT and DOC Lambrusco exports, archaeological evidence of its existence going thanks to its tannins, can be suitably matched where Germany and USA have replaced IGT back to the Etruscans; the Romans valued it for to hearty food. Sorbara is lighter, usually with DOC Lambrusco,” Bagni says. “However, its productivity and high yields. a hue of salmon pink to garnet. Sorbara’s the reality is there are still two worlds of The most commonly found Lambrusco refreshing acidity makes it versatile, and it is Lambrusco, the IGT and the DOC.” To put it varieties include Grasparossa, Maestri, becoming increasingly popular for its appeal in context, industrial fizz is represented by Marani, Montericco, Salamino and as an aperitif or matched to lighter foods. the 125m bottles of IGT production versus Sorbara. Many wines are made from Salamino, which is often used for blending, the 41m bottles of DOC production. It’s clear more than one Lambrusco variety yields sturdy wines that are deep pink to which style dominates the market. and additionally often blended (to a purple, with a tannic twist. Cantine Riunite & Civ, one of Lambrusco’s maximum of 15%) with other grapes, In spite of Lambrusco’s global sales, it largest players, produces 60m bottles, of such as Ancellotta. sorely needs to rebuild its image in many which 30% is DOC, while the rest is IGT, a “Lambrusco Grasparossa has historic markets which have outgrown the split that’s also reflected in the company’s structure and intriguing tannins,” cheap and sweet style. Re-styling, packaging exports. According to Vanni Lusetti, the explains Medici. “Lambrusco di and image building is a much debated issue managing director, over the past five to 10 Sorbara is drier and more acidic. across the board, for the larger more industrial years innovative technology and a healthier It is possibly the most noble of producers and the smaller producers which approach to agriculture have resulted in Lambrusco varieties which is struggle to be noticed among the sea of lower yields but better quality, however IGT taking hold of the market in all its Lambrusco. “Packaging is important for Lambrusco still plays a major role in exports. styles from Charmat and Classic to successful marketing,” says Rico Grootveldt, Ancestrale.” export manager at Chiarli, a historic winery New approaches, old traditions Lambrusco’s big revolution and one of Lambrusco’s main players came in the 1960s with with exports to more than 55 countries. In 1979, the Consorzio introduced a pasteurisation, which stabilised “Lambrusco producers have made leaps and Lotta Integrata certification, pushing for a the product, enabling Lambrusco bounds with modern, updated packaging, more sustainable organic agriculture and 70 premium labels. Today most Lambrusco is Sandro Cavicchioli, tank fermented in the Charmat method and winemaker, many more single vineyards are appearing in Francesco Bellei & C the top ranges. Another stylistic novelty is the increasing use of the classic sparkling method, in which bottles are turned and sediment is removed WBI 5/18 MEININGER’S just before they are corked. This method of second fermentation is used to make white and rosé Lambrusco that today competes with Prosecco and other Italian sparklers. Less vigorous pressing of the grapes helps keep the fruit fresher and brighter. Skin contact is carefully monitored for just the right amount of color and tannin in the wine. Christian Bellei, winemaker at Cantina PHOTO: MATTEO VOLPI PHOTO: MATTEO della Volta, dedicates production solely to the traditional sparkling method. According less use of chemicals. Some Lambrusco to produce what he calls “a real expression to Bellei, Lambrusco Sorbara is the best producers have gone even further with a of Lambrusco’s Ancestrale Modena DOC”, variety for use in both the ancestral and the new certification called VIVA which refers using indigenous yeast. He prefers the cloudy traditional sparkling methods. Cantina della to a broad concept of sustainability. Four ‘authentic’ look and fresh, yeasty flavours that Volta’s Lambrusco di Sorbara Trentasei label indicators are examined: water, air, land and come from leaving the yeast in the bottle. “You indicates the number of months on yeast vineyards. “The winery must evaluate all the can say it is more than natural winemaking, (36) before dégorgement. Cantina della actions it performs in relation to these four taking into consideration that all our vineyards Volta produces 150,000 bottles of traditional elements, measuring and recording every have been converted to organic farming,” sparkling Lambrusco a year and is one of the single activity from the first that takes place Cavicchioli says. main producers of this new trend. “The acidity in the vineyard to the last,” says Anselmo The province of Reggio Emilia once had and the structure of Sorbara are perfect for Chiarli, CEO and owner of the historic family enormous underground cellars packed with making traditional sparkling which can age business Chiarli. “This includes evaluating Lambrusco re-fermenting in the bottle. “Back with dignity many years,” Bellei says. packaging, from registering the weight of the in the ’60s, many years before I sold my family label, to estimating how much glue is used, to winery, we would stock about 1m bottles of Selling to the world the weight of the glass and so on – virtually Ancestrale Lambrusco in the underground everything. Believe me, it is a very serious cellars,” Cavicchioli says. He says the main Lambrusco is still one of Italy’s most certification which requires considerable problem they encountered back then was exported wines, not only to traditional markets, organisational commitment.” that after one and a half years, the corkage but to new markets in the former countries of Some producers are also returning didn’t always maintain the pressure, despite the Soviet Union: Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Lambrusco to its traditional roots using it being only 2.5 to three bars. He is a firm Latvia and Kazakhstan. In addition, sales the so-called Ancestrale method, in which believer in Sorbara, the grape used for the of Lambrusco have taken off recently in yeasts are left in the bottle to create a fizz Ancestrale Lambrusco. He uses a pied de cuve Latin American markets such as Mexico and leave sediment. This method requires – indigenous yeast taken from the vineyards and Colombia. According to the Consorzio, no dégorgement or remuage. “This was how – but, more importantly, has replaced corks Lambrusco is even being sold to Ghana and Lambrusco was originally made. It is nothing with crown caps to keep the Lambrusco Nigeria. Medici says that Canada is next. more than going back to its roots,” says Sandro sparkling. In 1987, Cavicchioli became one of “Sales in the Canadian provinces are still Cavicchioli, winemaker of the eponymous the first Lambrusco winemakers to produce a quite limited in terms of volumes,” he says, but Cavicchioli brand, which belonged to his family single vineyard wine in the Charmat method. adds that a trend for high-quality Lambrusco until GIV purchased it in 2011. Cavicchioli The Vigna del Cristo, made from Sorbara is developing.