ITALY - Lambrusco Flashcards
What is the method of production of Lambrusco?
Tank Method
What sparkling styles are there for Lambrusco?
Frizzante and Spumante
Which grape and in which area is Lambrusco made?
Lambrusco grape family mainly in Emilia Romagna in Central Italy
What is the main river through Emilia-Romagna?
River Po
What is the color range of Lambrusco?
Pale pink to deep ruby
what is the aroma, structure, quality and price of Lambrusco wines?
Aromas: red cherry, red plum and strawberry
Quality: Acceptable to Very Good
Price: Inexpensive to Mid-Priced
Growing Environment:
In which region is Lambrusco made?
Growing Environment:
Emilia-Romagna (Central Italy)
Growing Environment:
What is the climate and rainfall in Emilia-Romagna?
Growing Environment:
Warm Continental with adequate rains for vines of 735mm
Growing Environment:
What type of soils are in the area?
Growing Environment:
Alluvial soils of clay and silt
Growing Environment:
What are the features of clay soils in terms of drainage and hazards?
Growing Environment:
High water retention but gets compacted easily
Growing Environment:
How can the winemaker avoid compaction
Growing Environment:
Growing grass between rows of vines
Growing Environment:
Lambrusco is prone to high yields esp. when coupled with what soil factor?
Growing Environment:
High fertility soil
Growing Environment:
Are grapes machine harvested?
Growing Environment:
Yes. They are high yield and machine harvested
Growing Environment:
——— between rows facilitates ease of movement for the ———— during harvest time?
Growing Environment:
GRASS between the rows facilitates movement of the TRACTORS during harvest time
Growing Environment:
What type of pruning is used and how is it suited to the vines and harvesting?
Growing Environment:
Sylvoz and Geneva Double Curtain
suited for high vigor vines and mechanisation
Growing Environment:
What are the main hazards for Lambrusco vines and how are they being tackled by growers?
Growing Environment:
Issue 1: Fungal Disease from the humidity on river plain
Resolution: Spraying in some cases. In other cases sustainable viticulture (eg canopy management, weather watching etc)
Issue 2: Grapevine Yellows (Phytoplasma spread by insects) causing leaf yellowing
Resolution: Pull out affected vines and control the insect vectors
Growing Environment:
Name the important varieties of Lambrusco grapes and some of their characteristics.
Growing Environment:
-Lambrusco Salamino
produces a intense coloured, very fragrant full bodied, high acidity wine
the grape is usually blended but also has its own DOC
-Lambrusco Grassaparossa
produces an intense coloured, medium + tannin, full body wine
grown on hillsides
Has its own DOC
-Lambrusco di Sorbara
produces pale, high acid, lighter bodied wines
Has its own DOC
Growing Environment:
What is the name and the max yield for each of the Lambrusco DOCs named after grapes or after provinces?
Growing Environment:
Modena DOC - 161 hl/ha (high yeild/low conc)
Reggiano DOC - 126 hl/ha
Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce - 133hl/ha - uses 85% of var. min.
Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC- 126 hl/ha - uses 85% of var. min.
Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC - 126 hl/ha - uses 60% of var. min.
Winemaking:
Lighter styles and more structured styles have different maceration periods. What re they?
Winemaking:
Lighter Styles have 1-2 days maceration (less tannin)
Structured Styles have 3-4 days maceration
Winemaking:
The first fermentation occurs at what temperature?
Compare to that of 2nd fermentation?
Winemaking:
18-20 deg C for the first
12-15 deg C for the second
Winemaking:
Is there lees ageing after the second fermentation and why?
Winemaking:
No. The style of the wine exhausts the expression of the primary fruit
Winemaking:
Is dosage ever used?
Winemaking:
Not for zero dosage or brut but sweeter styles may be the juices natural sugar or Rectified Concentrated Grape Must
Winemaking:
How long does fermentation take place for frizzante vs Spumante?
Winemaking:
Frizzante is 2 weeks
Spumante is 4 weeks
Winemaking:
Tank method is usually used but what other sparkling wine production method is occasionally used?
Winemaking:
Ancestral Method
Wine Laws and Business:
Spumante and Frizzante Lambrusco wines may be labelled with other terms apart from DOC. What other term?
Wine Laws and Business:
IGT Emilia
Wine Laws and Business:
What % of Spumante is IGT Emilia?
Wine Laws and Business:
70-75% is IGT Emilia and the remainder is DOC
Wine Laws and Business:
What is the minimum abv for Frizzante vs Spumante?
Wine Laws and Business:
Frizzante - 10.5% abv
Spumante - 11% abv
Wine Laws and Business:
In what other way does Frizzante and Spumante differ in ‘range’ of styles?
Wine Laws and Business:
Sweeteness levels - Spumante has typical range according to EU standards for sparkling wine but frizzante has fewer categories Secco, Abboccato and Amabile (each covers a broad range of sweetness)
Wine Laws and Business:
What is the average size of properties in the region?
Is this an increase or decrease since 2000?
Wine Laws and Business:
3 hectares
A doubling since 2000
Wine Laws and Business:
Why did land holdings double from 2000-2008
Wine Laws and Business:
Some growers left the industry and sold their property
Wine Laws and Business:
what do most growers do with their grapes?
Wine Laws and Business:
Take them to coops and larger companies to be sold
Wine Laws and Business:
What % of Lambrusco is sold in Italy?
Wine Laws and Business:
33% sold in Italy and 67% exported
Wine Laws and Business:
What concentration is in the best Lambrusco ?
Wine Laws and Business:
high concentration with well defined fruit
Wine Laws and Business:
Which three large wine coops merged to create the largest wine company by turnover in Italy?
What wines does it sell and what are their principle markets?
Wine Laws and Business:
CIV, Gruppo Italiano Vino an Cantine Riunite
Sells Lambrusco and Prosecco among other wines. Top export markets are UK,USA, Mexico, Germany
Wine Laws and Business:
What is the principle issue with promoting higher quality Lambrusco?
Wine Laws and Business:
Name synonymous with frothy, sweet wine and ‘Lambrusco’ is not a protected name like ‘Prosecco.
Anyone growing the Lambrusco grape can call their wine Lambrusco. There are lots of inexpensive poor quality wines using the same name
