D4.C12. Lambrusco Flashcards
What is Lambrusco?
Lambrusco is the name of the mainly red, made by the tank method, spumante or frizzante wines made from the family of Lambrusco varieties
Where is the Lambrusco region located in Italy?
In Emilia-Romagna in central Italy and situated close to the River Po
Tasting notes for Lambrusco
- 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
What is the quality/price range for Lambrusco?
- The quality is mainly acceptable
to good with a small number of very good examples - Inexpensive to mid-priced
What is the climate of Lambrusco region?
Warm continental with adequate rainfall (735 mm), with some threat of rain at harvest time
How is the topography of Lambrusco region?
The region has low hills of around 150
m of altitude
Is irrigation allowed in Lambrusco?
Irrigation is used to ensure an adequate water supply at critical points
What is the structure of the soil in Lambrusco?
The soils are alluvial, predominantly clay and silt, with good water-holding capacity but are prone to compaction
What is the solution of the growers in Lambrusco region to allow access by machines in wet periods and to reduce compaction?
Grassing between rows
What are the reasons for the high yields in Lambrusco region?
- The high fertility of the soils
- High vigour of the grapes
What are the most common forms of vine training in Lambrusco region? Why?
- Cordon trained (e.g. Sylvoz) and Geneva Double Curtain
- Suitable for high vigour vines and allowing full mechanisation
What are the viticultural hazards and their solutions in Lambrusco region?
- 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
What are the most important Lambrusco varieties?
- Lambrusco Salamino
- Lambrusco Grasparossa
- Lambrusco di Sorbara
What are the properties of Lambrusco Salamino?
- Most widely planted variety
- It produces fragrant, deep coloured, full-bodied wines with high acidity
What is the name of the DOC for Lambrusco Salamino?
Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce
What are the requirements for Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce DOC?
- It requires a minimum of 85% of this variety
- Maximum yield of 133 hL/ha
What are the properties of Lambrusco Grasparossa?
- 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
What is the name of the DOC for Lambrusco Grasparossa?
Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC
What are the requirements for Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC?
- It requires a minimum of 85% of this
variety - It allows a maximum yield of 126 hL/ha
What are the properties of Lambrusco di Sorbara?
It makes pale, lighter bodied wines with high acidity
What is the name of the DOC for Lambrusco di Sorbara?
Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC
What are the requirements for Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC?
- It requires a minimum of 60% this variety
- It allows a maximum yield of 126 hL/ha
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?
- 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
What is the maceration period for most of the Lambrusco wines? Why?
- 1-2 days
- Lambrusco varieties have high levels of anthocyanins
- This short maceration time also restricts the amount of tannin extracted
How are the more structured, fuller bodied Lambrusco wines produced?
For more structured, fuller bodied wines, typically from Lambrusco Grasparossa grapes, the musts are kept on the skins for 3–4 days
What is the fermentation temperature for the first fermentation of Lambrusco?
18–20°C to retain primary fruit aromas
Is malolactic conversion performed for Lambrusco? Why?
No, malolactic conversion is blocked to preserve high acidity
What is the fermentation temperature and the duration for the second fermentation of Lambrusco?
- Second fermentation at low
temperatures (12–15°C) - It typically takes two weeks for frizzante wines and one monthfor spumante
Is maturation on lees required for Lambrusco?
No
How is the sweetness level adjusted for Lambrusco?
- 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
How are the traditional method wines are made in Lambrusco?
They are undisgorged bottle-fermented wines
(ancestral method)
How are the IGT wines made from Lambrusco varieties is labelled?
IGT Emilia
For spumante wines, the DOC wines make up how may per cent of production?
- 25%
- The rest is IGT
What are the minimum required abv for spumante and frizzante Lambrusco DOCs?
- 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
How are the labelling terms and sweetness levels are different for spumante wines and frizzante wines?
- 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
What is the average vineyard holding size in Lambrusco?
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
Do most of the growers make their own wine in Lambrusco?
No, most growers take their fruit to be vinified in the co-operatives or larger private. wineries
What are the percentages of domestic market and export for Lambrusco?
- Domestic: 1/3 (principally in supermarkets and in the hospitality sector)
- Export: 2/3
Why Lambrusco has struggled to throw off the ‘inexpensive, red, frothy and sweet” tag
- 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
What is Cantine Riunite and CIV?
- 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
