D4.C12. Lambrusco

Question 1

What is Lambrusco?

Answer 1

Lambrusco is the name of the mainly red, made by the tank method, spumante or frizzante wines made from the family of Lambrusco varieties

Question 2

Where is the Lambrusco region located in Italy?

Answer 2

In Emilia-Romagna in central Italy and situated close to the River Po

Question 3

Tasting notes for Lambrusco

Answer 3

• Color varies from pale pink to deep ruby
• Strawberry, red cherry and red plum fruit flavours
• Medium to medium (+) tannins
• High acidity
• Usually, residual sugar

Question 4

What is the quality/price range for Lambrusco?

Answer 4

• The quality is mainly acceptable
  to good with a small number of very good examples
• Inexpensive to mid-priced

Question 5

What is the climate of Lambrusco region?

Answer 5

Warm continental with adequate rainfall (735 mm), with some threat of rain at harvest time

Question 6

How is the topography of Lambrusco region?

Answer 6

The region has low hills of around 150
m of altitude

Question 7

Is irrigation allowed in Lambrusco?

Answer 7

Irrigation is used to ensure an adequate water supply at critical points

Question 8

What is the structure of the soil in Lambrusco?

Answer 8

The soils are alluvial, predominantly clay and silt, with good water-holding capacity but are prone to compaction

Question 9

What is the solution of the growers in Lambrusco region to allow access by machines in wet periods and to reduce compaction?

Answer 9

Grassing between rows

Question 10

What are the reasons for the high yields in Lambrusco region?

Answer 10

• The high fertility of the soils
• High vigour of the grapes

Question 11

What are the most common forms of vine training in Lambrusco region? Why?

Answer 11

• Cordon trained (e.g. Sylvoz) and Geneva Double Curtain
• Suitable for high vigour vines and allowing full mechanisation

Question 12

What are the viticultural hazards and their solutions in Lambrusco region?

Answer 12

• Humidity on the river plain makes regular preventative spraying against fungal diseases. spraying has been reduced through sustainable viticulture (better canopy management, close monitoring of weather forecasts to anticipate problems
• Grapevine yellows have posed an increasing threat in recent years, controlled by rapid removal of affected plants and by controlling the vectors

Question 13

What are the most important Lambrusco varieties?

Answer 13

• Lambrusco Salamino
• Lambrusco Grasparossa
• Lambrusco di Sorbara

Question 14

What are the properties of Lambrusco Salamino?

Answer 14

• Most widely planted variety
• It produces fragrant, deep coloured, full-bodied wines with high acidity

Question 15

What is the name of the DOC for Lambrusco Salamino?

Answer 15

Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce

Question 16

What are the requirements for Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce DOC?

Answer 16

• It requires a minimum of 85% of this variety
• Maximum yield of 133 hL/ha

Question 17

What are the properties of Lambrusco Grasparossa?

Answer 17

• Does best on clay and silt
• It is only variety to be grown mainly on the hillsides
• It produces deep coloured, full-bodied wine with medium (+) tannins

Question 18

What is the name of the DOC for Lambrusco Grasparossa?

Answer 18

Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC

Question 19

What are the requirements for Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC?

Answer 19

• It requires a minimum of 85% of this
  variety
• It allows a maximum yield of 126 hL/ha

Question 20

What are the properties of Lambrusco di Sorbara?

Answer 20

It makes pale, lighter bodied wines with high acidity

Question 21

What is the name of the DOC for Lambrusco di Sorbara?

Answer 21

Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC

Question 22

What are the requirements for Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC?

Answer 22

• It requires a minimum of 60% this variety
• It allows a maximum yield of 126 hL/ha

Question 23

What are the two further DOCs are named after the provinces of Reggio-Emilia and Modena, not after the names of Lambrusco varieties and their allowed maximum yields?

Answer 23

• Reggiano Lambrusco or simply Reggiano DOC (126 hl/ha)
• Lambrusco di Modena DOC or simply Modena DOC (161 hL/ha). Very high yields lead to low levels of fruit concentration

Question 24

What is the maceration period for most of the Lambrusco wines? Why?

Answer 24

• 1-2 days
• Lambrusco varieties have high levels of anthocyanins
• This short maceration time also restricts the amount of tannin extracted

Question 25

How are the more structured, fuller bodied Lambrusco wines produced?

Answer 25

For more structured, fuller bodied wines, typically from Lambrusco Grasparossa grapes, the musts are kept on the skins for 3–4 days

Question 26

What is the fermentation temperature for the first fermentation of Lambrusco?

Answer 26

18–20°C to retain primary fruit aromas

Question 27

Is malolactic conversion performed for Lambrusco? Why?

Answer 27

No, malolactic conversion is blocked to preserve high acidity

Question 28

What is the fermentation temperature and the duration for the second fermentation of Lambrusco?

Answer 28

- Second fermentation at low temperatures (12–15°C) - It typically takes two weeks for frizzante wines and one monthfor spumante

Question 29

Is maturation on lees required for Lambrusco?

Answer 29

No

Question 30

How is the sweetness level adjusted for Lambrusco?

Answer 30

- There is no dosage of dryer styles - Sweet wines either have the fermentation stopped at the desired sweetness level and/or are sweetened by blending with must or RCGM

Question 31

How are the traditional method wines are made in Lambrusco?

Answer 31

They are undisgorged bottle-fermented wines (ancestral method)

Question 32

How are the IGT wines made from Lambrusco varieties is labelled?

Answer 32

IGT Emilia

Question 33

For spumante wines, the DOC wines make up how may per cent of production?

Answer 33

- 25% - The rest is IGT

Question 34

What are the minimum required abv for spumante and frizzante Lambrusco DOCs?

Answer 34

- Spumante: 11% abv - Frizzante: 10.5% abv - However, wines in the amabile or dolce styles are permitted to have a minimum of only 7% abv

Question 35

How are the labelling terms and sweetness levels are different for spumante wines and frizzante wines?

Answer 35

- Spumante wines are labelled according to the standard EU categories for sparkling wine - Frizzante wines have fewer sweetness categories (secco/asciutto, abboccato, amabile), with each category encompassing a broader range of sweetness

Question 36

What is the average vineyard holding size in Lambrusco?

Answer 36

Less than 3 ha, however, average size has more than doubled since 2000 as some growers left the industry and sold their land to others

Question 37

Do most of the growers make their own wine in Lambrusco?

Answer 37

No, most growers take their fruit to be vinified in the co-operatives or larger private. wineries

Question 38

What are the percentages of domestic market and export for Lambrusco?

Answer 38

- Domestic: 1/3 (principally in supermarkets and in the hospitality sector) - Export: 2/3

Question 39

Why Lambrusco has struggled to throw off the ‘inexpensive, red, frothy and sweet" tag

Answer 39

- Poor quality wines being exported in large volumes in the past - Part of the issue is that ‘Lambrusco’ on its own is not a protected name (unlike Prosecco). it is still possible to produce and sell inexpensive, low alcohol, wine-related drinks as Lambrusco, which has made it difficult to promote Lambrusco as a high-quality wine

Question 40

What is Cantine Riunite and CIV?

Answer 40

- It is Italy’s largest wine company by value of turnover hat specialises in Lambrusco and Prosecco - Cantine Riunite was created in 1950 by the merger of nine local wine co-operatives in the province of Reggio Emilia - It has since been joined by the CIV co-operatives in the province of Modena and currently has 1,800 members - In 2002, it bought the Prosecco producer Cantine Maschio and further bought the large co- operative Gruppo Italiano Vini (GIV) in 2008 - The company as a whole sells around half its wine in Italy (predominantly via retailers, rather than the hospitality sector) - It had particular success with Lambrusco Amabile in the USA - The top export markets are the UK, USA, Mexico, Germany and France - In recent years, its turnover has risen by around 50% (2010/11–2017/18), much of this growth due to sparkling wine