Take a Walk on the Red Side Part II - Lambrusco

After looking at sparkling Shiraz wines that are popular features on wine exams, today we’re heading to Italy to check out an often forgotten sparkling red from Emilia-Romagna. If you want to get even geekier, on Dec 9th we’ll have a webinar on Italian sparkling wines (including Lambrusco) that you can check out here.

But what the heck is Lambrusco?

Originating from north-central Italy, most Lambrusco comes from the western, warmer inland Emilia region—the land of Prosciutto di Parma, Salame di Felino, Parmigiano Reggiano, Modena balsamic vinegar, and Tagliatelle al Ragù Bolognese. All fantastic accompaniments to Lambrusco!

Lambrusco takes its name from the family of grapes that are used to produce it. That’s a key distinction and, for wine exams, it is well worth spending a little extra time studying and remembering names like Lambrusco Salamino (most widely planted), Lambrusco Grasparossa (most deeply colored and producing some of the fullest bodied styles), Lambrusco di Sorbara (palest and lightest, often used for rosé-like styles) and the like. Many of these varieties have their own DOCs but most mass-market Lambruscos will be blends under the larger Reggiano or Modena DOCs or IGT Emilia.

Lambrusco can be fully sparkling (spumante) like most sparkling Shiraz or semi-sparkling (frizzante). The bubbles come courtesy of the Charmat tank method (though there are some boutique producers doing traditional method) and can range in sweetness from dry secco, off-dry amabile and sweet dolce styles. If it is made spumante, you may see traditional sparkling designations like Brut and Extra-Dry used.

Riunite on ice, that’s nice.

In the United States, Lambrusco is most closely associated with the “soft lively red” Riunite. First introduced in 1967 to the US market, by 1977 it was the most widely imported brand (by case volume) from anywhere and held that perch in the US, almost unchallenged, throughout the 80s and 90s.

For being such a mass-market, commercial wine, the winemaking of the Riunite was, and still is, surprisingly low intervention. They chill down the must to stop fermentation to maintain off-dry sweetness (rather than using lots of sulfur) and rely on low fermentation temperatures (18-20°C/64-68°F, low for red wines, with the first fermentation and even colder 12-16°C/54-59°F second fermentation) with the trapped CO2 from tank fermentation to preserve the fresh fruit flavors.

Of course, this meant that Riunite didn’t have the longest shelf life but, as quickly as it sold in the US market (at its clip of nearly 1 million bottles a month during its peak in the 70s), that didn’t matter much. By 2017, after 5 decades on the market, nearly 2 billion bottles of Riunite have been sold in the US.

But you’re not likely going to see Riunite on a tasting exam

Now that’s not to say that it can’t ever appear. Examiners will feature whatever they want to feature. Plus some exams, like those for the Master of Wine program, often feature mass-market wines from time to time because understanding them, and understanding their appeal, is an important part of the wine trade.

But compared to other mass-market “success stories” like Mateus or Liebfraumilch, Riunite’s success was much more an American phenomenon, driven by some brilliant marketing from Frederick Wildman & Sons. While you can certainly find Riunite in the UK and other markets, it didn’t quite have the same resonance. So while not impossible, the odds of this amabile frizzante style of Lambrusco showing up are lower than other options. For wine students preparing for exams, it’s more advantageous to seek out the dryer styles (both semi and fully sparkling) like these three bottles that have appeared on past exams.

Medici Ermete Concerto Lambrusco Reggiano

Made from the Salamino variety from the Reggiano DOC, this frizzante wine has 9 g/l residual sugar (which would be classified as Brut if it was fully sparkling). The Medici family has been a major producer of Lambrusco for over 130 years, steadily converting their vineyards organic under the guidance of the newest generation.

Look for - Red fruits (cherry, red plums), medium alcohol (11.5%) with high acid and medium, though firm tannins. The dryness will really highlight the acidity so look for that mouth-watering.

You can find this in both the US and UK, usually at specialist shops. While Wine.com usually has a good selection of Lambruscos, they don’t have this one at the moment. Wine Searcher Ave is £ 11-16/$15-21 USD

Cleto Chiarli Villa Cialdini Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro

In the hillside vineyards around Castelvetro in the province of Modena, the Grasparossa variety reigns supreme. These are usually considered the more robust takes on Lambrusco with a fuller body and more medium+plus tannins. This example from Cleto Chiarli is fully sparkling (spumante) that hinges on the Brut/Extra-Dry spectrum with around 13 g/l residual sugar. But with the tannins and high acid, this is going to taste dry with a creamy mouthfeel from the few months it spends on lees.

Look for - Ripe red fruits but not as ripe as an Australian Shiraz which will usually have darker fruits. Focusing on this will be key to distinguishing it from a fully sparkling Shiraz. Alcohol is going to be lower (11% compared to the 13.5-14.5% of Aussie Shiraz) and the finish is more likely to have a slight bitter edge—typical of Italian reds—versus the lingering kiss of fruit that you’ll see more in New World wines.

This one will be a little harder to find in the US, though Wine.com does carry other wines from Cleto Chiarli such as this single-vineyard example from the same grape and area. Wine Searcher Ave is £ 13/ $17 USD.

Monte delle Vigne Classico Lambrusco

This spumante Lambrusco was featured on MW exams a few years ago and is made from the less commonly seen Lambrusco Maestri that is found around the areas of Parma and Reggio Emilia. It is known for its “Gamay-like” character with purplish hue and bistro-worthy quaffability. Some examples can even exhibit a bubble gum, candied-like quality though I would say “berries and cream” sums up this Monte delle Vigne Classico better.

Look for - A mix of red and dark fruit. We’re going more inland and away from the cooling influences of the coast with a more continental climate. This is fully sparkling so in a tasting exam you will be debating if this is a sparkling Shiraz. Focus on the structure with the trademark “edginess” of Lambrusco’s higher acidity and firmer tannins helping to distinguish it from the fleshier, riper and weightier (higher alcohol) Shirazes.

Monte delle Vigne has distribution in the US but you may need to hunt for it. Wine Searcher Ave is £ 12/$16 USD.

Top Wines to tryAmber LeBeauLambrusco, Sparkling wine, Italian wineComment