Lambrusco Flashcards
What is Lambrusco?
- Mainly red
- Tank fermented sparkling wine either spumante or frizzante
- Made from Lambrusco family of grapes
- Made in Emilia-Romagna
Describe a typical Lambrusco
Pale pink - deep ruby Strawberry, red cherry, red plum High acid Med-med(+) tannin Some RS Acceptable - good (some VG) Inexpensive - mid-priced
Describe the climate, topography and soils of Emilia-Romagna
- Climate: warm and continental
- Rainfall: adequate rainfall
- Soil: Alluvial with mainly clay and silt which are highly fertile, may be prone to compaction
- Topography: low hills up to 150m
What are the key climatic and disease hazards in Emilia-Romagna and how are they dealt with?
- Untimely rainfall - harvest
- Lack of rainfall - irrigation used if dry during critical points e.g. early growth
- Humidity from river plain
- Canopy mngt, use of weather forecasts
- Fungicide spraying - Grapevine yellows - remove affected plants quickly, control vectors
What forms of training are commonly used and why?
Mostly cordon trained e.g. Sylvoz and Geneva Double Curtain
- Suited to high vigour of vines - fertile soils
- Allows mechanisation
What are the three most important grape varieties?
- Lambrusco Salamino
- Lambrusco Grasparossa
- Lambrusco di Sorbara
What does Lambrusco Salamino add?
Deep colour
Full-body
High acid
Fragrant
What does Lambrusco Grasparossa add?
Deep colour
Full-body
Med (+) tannin
Does best on clay and silt and mainly grown on hillsides
What does Lambrusco di Sorbara add?
Pale
Lighter bodied
Very high acid
Each of the main grape varieties has a related DOC. Name it and give the max yield allowed.
Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce DOC. Minimum 85% Salamino. 133 hL/ha
Lambrusco
Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC. Minimum 85% Grasparossa. 126 hL/ha
Lambrusco
di Sorbara DOC. Min 60% di Sorbara. 126 hL/ha
Describe the Reggiano Lambrusco DOC and Lambrusco di Modena DOC
- Lambrusco varieties within Reggio-Emilia. Max yield 126 hL/ha
- Lambrusco varieties in around Modena, 161 hL/ha –> fruit concentration
Describe the winemaking process.
- Maceration: 1-2 days on skins (short due to high levels of anthocyanins and desired to limit tannin extraction)
- Ferment: low temps 18-20c –> primary fruit
- Malo –> acidity
- 2nd Ferment: most via tank method, 12-15c, two weeks for frizz and one month for spumante, stopped when desired pressure and sweetness reached
- Maturation: none –> fruit
For which styles is dosage used / not used?
Drier styles - no dosage
Sweet styles - may have must or RCGM added
How does the winemaking process impact volume and price?
Suited to large vol, inexpensive wine
What other methods may be used to produce Lambrusco?
- Traditional method
- Ancestral method
How else can wines made in the region be labelled?
IGT Emilia
What’s the proportion of production is DOC vs IGT?
DOC - 25-30%
IGT - 70-75%
Outline the different ABV requirements within the DOCs
Spumante - min 11%
Frizzante - 10.5%
Amabile/Dolce - 7% with potential ABV of 10.5%
How are sweetness levels for frizzante and spumante Lambrusco labelled?
Spumante - EU categories Extra Brut, Brut, Dolce etc.
Frizzante - secco, abboccato, amabile (broader categories)
Describe the structure of Lambrusco production
Most fruit vinified by co-ops or large private wineries
Large number of small growers - average size 3ha (which doubled since cf to 2000 as growers have sold and left industry)
Where is Lambrusco sold?
33% domestically –> supermarkets and hosp, small amount via specialist retailers
66% export
What is the common perception of Lambrusco and how has it gained it?
- Common view: “cheap, red, frothy, sweet”
- Due to large vols of poor quality exports
- Lambrusco is not protected so low-qual wine-based drinks so it has been difficult to market HQ wines
What is Cantine Riunite & CIV?
- Italy’s largest wine producer by turnover - specialises in Lambrusco and Prosecco
- Sells 50% of wine domestically mainly via retailers
- Top export markets are UK, USA, Mexico, Germany and France
- Lambrusco Amabile has been especially successful in US
- Turnover up 50% between 2010-7 due to growth of sparkling wine
