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Lambrusco (Ламбруско) – sparkling wine originally from Italy, made from the grape of the same name in the vicinity of Emilia Romagna and Piedmont, but Italians prefer to call it “vino frizzante”, which means sparkling wine.
Almost all wines from this line are produced with a strength of no more than 6–9 degrees and have a fruit and berry aftertaste and aroma.
What and how is Lambrusco made from?
The drink is made from wild red Lambrusco grapes and all its varietal varieties. Also, in rare cases, Ancelotta grapes are added, it practically does not affect the taste, but thanks to it, the color shade becomes more saturated and deep.
For the production of Lambrusco, a special technology is used – the Charmat method, which was made public back in 1910.
The essence of the technology lies in the secondary fermentation in steel barrels, and not in a glass container. And bottled when the fermentation is not over yet.
After opening the bottle and filling the glass, a dense foam should form, which will indicate that the production technology has been followed.
To date, more than 60 varieties of Lambrusco are known, the names of some of them are used as “brands” of wine.
Types of Lambrusco
If the original sparkling Lambrusco was exclusively red, now you can find both white and rosé wines. They are prepared from the same grape variety as red, but using a few secrets:
For white grapes, the skin is removed immediately so that it does not come into contact with the juice.
For pink, leave quite a bit of the skin to achieve a light pink color.
The line includes all sorts of flavors from dry, which does not use sugar at all, to semi-sweet and sweet wine.
How to choose natural Lambrusco wine
To choose a real Italian sparkling wine, you should follow a few simple tips:
Buy a drink in large supermarkets or in a company store. The exception is private distilleries in Italy, where you can see the producer and vineyards.
The label must contain the inscription “traditional or original production method.”
It is better to turn your attention to dry red wine, this is the only type of Lambrusco that is consumed in the homeland of the drink. Everything else is produced exclusively for export, and a significant share is directed to the Russian consumer.
When filling the glass, a beautiful thick foam should form.
How to serve and with what to drink
Lambrusco is a versatile wine that pairs well with seafood, salads, pizza, fatty meats, fruits and cheeses.
It is important to remember the only rule that the drink is best served chilled to 7–9 degrees.
Popular brands of Lambrusco
Salamino of Santa Croce
Red dry or semi-sweet wine, it is best to drink it young in combination with cotechino (Italian delicacy – pork sausages).
Lambrusco Mantovano
Red wine with a light aroma of strawberries, plums and cherries. Pairs well with authentic Italian risotto.
Lambrusco from Emilia Bianco
White semi-sweet wine of a golden hue with a light aroma of pear and pineapple.
Lambrusco dell’Emilia Rosso Amabile
Red semi-sweet wine of rich pomegranate color with a heady bouquet of aromas of spices, meadow flowers and subtle notes of cherry juice. For its preparation, 3 varieties of Lambrusco grapes and quite a bit of Ancelotte are used.
Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC
A red wine made from Lambrusco di Sorbara and Lambrusco Salamino grape varieties grown in the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena. It has a rich red tint, which is made in dry and semi-dry versions.
Bondamat Ancellotta dell’Emilia IGT
Wine of deep red color with rich sweet dessert taste. This is the only brand of wine that uses only 10% Lambrusco and 85% Ancelotta grapes.
Lambrusco Grasparossa from Castelvetro
Red wine with an inky tint and light aromas of plums, cherries, violets and strawberries. If carefully poured into a glass, a beautiful pink foam is formed.
Lambrusco of Modena
Unusual wine with special flavors of black berries and creamy mousse, thick consistency.
Five Differences Between Champagne and Lambrusco
The only thing that these drinks have in common is the presence of bubbles and the similarity in the design of the bottles.
In France (the birthplace of real champagne) they do not grow such a grape variety as Lambrusco.
different production technology. For the production of Lambrusco, the Charmat method is used, and for champagne, a special champagne technology is used.
There is no such thing as red champagne, unlike wine.
Champagne is never sweet, it is made exclusively dry.
Wine is made from “wild” grapes, and champagne from noble varieties, and if it is made from Lambrusco, the taste will never be similar to each other.
Interesting facts about Lambrusco
According to archaeologists, Lambrusco wine was known long before the formation of the Roman Empire and the heyday of Italy itself, and it is quite possible to believe that the Etruscans (an ancient civilization that inhabited modern Tuscany in the XNUMXst millennium BC) drank this drink.
There is also a mythological story of the appearance of Lambrusco. It was told by Luigi Bertelli at the end of the XNUMXth century. It says that during the bloody battle between Modena and Bologna, the Roman gods Venus, Bacchus and Mars decided to support the Modenese.
Bacchus, as a sign of this, presented the owner of the tavern with a grape seed and ordered to plant it. A rich harvest of grapes grew at that place, from which they began to make wine.
And the very name Lambrusco appeared due to the questions of the visitors of the tavern, what kind of wine the owner serves them, to which the old man always answered: “L’amo brusco”, which means “I like tart” in translation.
The most important year in the history of Lambrusco is 1938. It was during this period that five families of the country’s best winemakers united, which created the Cantina Puianello empire. Now the company exports almost 80% of its product, and this is not surprising, because they own 300 hectares of vineyards with various varieties of Lambrusco grapes.
In America, this sparkling wine has taken a special place in the ratings of the favorite drinks of Americans. And only Coca-Cola can compare with it in terms of the number of sales.
Relevance: 19.11.2017
Tags: Wine and vermouth, Wine brands