Q. “Giuseppe, what do you want to be when you grow up?”
A. “I want to be a Vigneron!”

Q. “What to do you want to do with all these grapes?”
A. “I will make Lambrusco, a real good one!”

Q. “Giuseppe, why do you make Lambrusco?”
A. “Because it brings me happiness!”

This summer, let Lambrusco defy your expectations and bring you happiness!

But not just any Lambrusco will do– it needs to be a really good one. And this month, just in time for Lambrusco Day on Friday June 21, the Italian Food Wine Travel group has a few to recommend! See the preview post here and links and titles of participant below.

Here on Wine Predator, we are excited to share two organic Lambrusco from Bugno Martino, Rosso Matilde, and Essentia, their traditionelle method Lambrusco which is such a new product that their website does not yet mention it.

While most Lambrusco comes from Emilia-Romagna (71%) with some from Puglia (20%), these two come from a small 9 hectare organic vineyard in the Mantovano area of the Lombardy region pictured in orange in the lower right of the map below. Lambrusco from this region comprise only 9% of production.

map source https://italianwinecentral.com/lombardia-dop-map/

These two wines definitely defy the expectations most Americans have of Lambrusco, which conquered the market in the 1970s and 1980s with a syrupy sweet low alcohol cherry/grape bubbly.  At a tasting in Beverly Hills a few years ago, I learned otherwise, and convinced Sue as well when we tasted, paired and wrote about three from Medici Ermete in June 2017.

Because of a declining interest in this style of wine, the surface area of plantings decreased 41% between 2000 and 2010.

 

I also learned during my Vinitaly Wine Ambassador Course in February 2019 that —

• Lambrusco used to creep along the trees and climb them to photosynthesize more efficiently and avoid powdery mildew.
• Lambrusco is one of the most autochlonouns (indigenous, native) in the world.
• Lambrusco vines are born spontaneously from seeds.
• Lambrusco was mentioned in the writing of the Romans.
• Lambrusco was named in 1596, and is one of Italy’s oldest.
• Lambrusco is actually a family of eight closely related varieties (with over 60 total!)  including these six:

1. L Grasparossa del castelvetro:
Grown in hillsides, versatile, likes clay soils, structured wines, thick skins, earthy, tannic , dark fruit

2. L di Sorbara :
more elegant, pinkish in color
Grown around sorbara town north of Modena. Prefers sandy soils. Dioecious – only female so needs to be planted with another Lambrusco to pollinate  (often salamino)

3. L salamino di santa croce
Most abundantly planted, blended, but interesting to consider single

4. L maestri
Sofitest, originated Villa Maestri in Parma

5. L marani
fruity bubblegum enjoyed by consumers

6. Lambrusco Viadanese: Aka Lambrusco Mantovano in Lombardy.

 Lambrusco is described as a ‘kick-back’ wine: ”Let’s cut a slice of Salami, have a glass of wine and relax a bit!” Bugno Martino’s website says that this elegant lambrusco from the Province of Mantua in Lombardy “goes well with all the typical products of the Mantuan gastronomy, such as pumpkin tortelli and risotto. Excellent with white meats, roasts and cold cuts and cheeses.”  Importer Vero Vino’s Sheila Donahue says of the Essentia, “its sharper acidity could make it pair well with a more fatty/juicy dish, like grilled sausages.”

We were ready to try one of these pairings, but then Judy, who is Italian American and a lifelong learner who has joined us a few times in the past few weeks to taste wine, offered to host us AND make homemade pizza dough and sauce.

How could we pass that up? Bonus: Judy’s house had this great red couch to set the wines off against as well as a beautiful granite counter, and industrial sink, and an oven big enough to handle many large pizzas at once!

Sue balanced out the menu by gathering ingredients and making a colorful antipasto salad covered in cured meats, pickled vegetables, and cheeses.

The 9 hectare vineyard where they grow four kinds of wine grapes along with the winery of Bugno Martino is run by owners, husband and wife Giuseppe and Rafaela Zavanella. They live with their two toddlers in Motova near San Benedetto Po River where they have a new tasting room where they pour their all lambrusco natural wine. Check them out on instagram!

Bugno Martino, Rosso Matilde Lambrusco SRP $18
Blend of Salamino and Ancelotta
5k cases

Color: Super dense, like pure grape juice, garnet, ruby red

Nose: Nice earthen notes, violets and iris, as well as a sense of being near the ocean, mushroom and loamy soil, with bright cherry fruit. Super interesting!

Palate: There is an earthen quality to the wine on the palate as well, but the effervescence of it cleanses as it goes across the palate, lots of minerals and acidity. It is almost as if you can taste the soil, like licking a river rock. Cherry fruit. Lively foamy bubbles.

Pairing: Loves uncooked and cooked salami, fun with the antipasto salad as well. John liked it with his pesto veggie pizza. Take this wine on a picnic with salami and cheese. This would be a great summer bbq wine, maybe fun for a brunch. With its earthy flavors, we thought it would go great with harvest fare like squash. Foods that would go well with merlot would most probably go well with this wine.

Bugno Martino Essentia  Lambrusco SRP $21 (such a deal!)
100% salamino
5k cases 

Color: Dense dark, you cannot see through it. Super purple, concord grape juice, violet.

Nose: Sue found the nose not to be as expressive, while I just wanted to drink the wine! Dried cherries, yeast, brioche, mulberries.

Palate: Mulberries, and light and bright red fruit in contrast to how deep and dark this wine is. The effervescence and acidity is so beautifully cleansing, balancing out the rich black cherry, plum, and brioche. Think a croissant with fresh fruit like raspberries cooked inside.

Pairing: Very nice with the cured Italian meats. Judy did not feel that it went that well with her pizza,  but Sue felt that it was really nice with the a red pizza with red sauce and mushrooms, and felt that it was exceptional with the antipasto salad.

Where can you get these wines?

Order on Vero Vino website! Importer, owner, and Italian Wine Ambassador Sheila Donohue is trying to create a community concept about the producers and the people interested in their products.

The objective of Vero — Vero Vino and Vero Gusto — is getting people to know about the producers and the products.

While the wine came first, food is a natural addition as many of these producers produce olive oil as well. La Maliosa’s wines are wonderful, but their olive oil won an award as third best in Italy! Sheila will be adding that oil and other similar products.

• Camilla from the Culinary Adventures with Camilla will be featuring “Every Wine Deserves a Second Look: Warmed Brie with Mulberry Chutney + Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco di Sorbara Vecchia Modena 2018“
• Jill at L’Occasion shares “La Collina Biodynamic Bubbles — Lambrusco!“
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm highlights “Lambrusco? Really??”
• Deanna from Asian Test Kitchen will showcase “Top 5 Fast Food Pairings with Lambrusco“
• Jeff at Food Wine Click will share “Lambrusco Shines with Red Fizz and Fun“
• Cindy of Grape Experiences will feature “Italian Old-School Classics: Easy Drinking Lambrusco with Spicy Vegetarian Pensa Romana“
• Marcia of the Joy of Wine will be highlighting “Lambrusco – The Star of Emilia-Romagna” 
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass will be sharing “Drinking Lambrusco in Strawberry Season“
• Pinny of Chinese Food and Wine Pairings  is focused on “Picnicking with Scarpetta Frico Lambrusco”
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish will be sharing “Revisiting Lambrusco with Francesco Vezzelli Rive dei Ciliegi“
• Nicole with Somm’s Table shares “Cooking to the Wine: Pezzuoli Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro with Antipasto Pizza“
• Here on Wine Predator we showcase “Bugno Martino’s Organic Lambrusco Defy Expectations“
• Susannah of Avvinare will be featuring “Sparkling Lambrusco from Vitivinicola Rota“
• Jennifer of Vino Travels shares “Over 150 Years of Dedication to Lambrusco with Cleto Chiarli”

This being June, we’re halfway through the year!

Where have we been and where are we going?