Grape Groups and Families - Native Wine Grapes of Italy - page 56

Lambrusco be reserved for varieties growing in
this region and specifi cally in the countryside
around the city of Modena. Nevertheless,
though there are many so-called Lambrusco s
grown all over Italy, very few of these are related
to the Lambrusco family of Emilia-Romagna.
An extremely interesting study by Torello Mari-
noni, Raimondi, Boccacci, and Schneider
(2006) recently provided ample proof: using
twenty SSR loci for DNA typing, the genetic
profi les of several grapes from Piedmont all
named Lambrusco-Something were compared
to those of other grapes from Piedmont and to
well-known Lambrusco s from Emilia-Romagna.
Results showed that all the Piedmontese culti-
vars named Lambrusca or Lambrusco showed
fi rst-degree parentage relationships with Pied-
montese varieties such as Lambrusca di Ales-
sandria, Neretto di Marengo, and Malvasia di
Casorzo, while the Lambrusco s from Emilia-
Romagna remained genetically distant.
Unfortunately, genetic erosion of the Lam-
brusco s has led us to lose a number of species.
However, there are still enough of these culti-
vars left to gain a glimpse of the complex and
fascinating world that is the Lambrusco family.
Lambrusco varieties share some ampelographic
features such as medium-large, pyramidal-
conical, longish bunches and round-to-oval ber-
ries characterized by thin but resistant skins of
various depths of color (though the Grasparossa,
Marani, and Maestri varieties have thick skins).
With a little practice, it's very easy to recognize
the various Lambrusco s and to tell Lambrusco s
apart from other grapes in the vineyard. In con-
trast, the wines of individual Lambrusco s are
very different from one another and therein lies
a great deal of their charm. Lambrusco di Sor-
bara gives the lightest, most fl oral wines, while
Lambrusco Grasparossa produces bigger and
more obviously structured wines. The latter is
generally considered to be the best Lambrusco
subvariety, and is the only one grown mainly on
higher-quality hillside vineyards. Some local
Italian experts are adamant that Lambrusco
Grasparossa wines also show greater depth of
fl avor and complexity, but I wonder if they

aren't being overly impressed by the much
richer fl esh and bigger tannins typical of wines
made with the Grasparossa variety. Certainly,
my experience is that wines made with the lat-
ter never exude the almost magical perfume of
those made with Lambrusco di Sorbara, nor the
creamy balance of wines made with Lambrusco
Salamino, which are best described as a cross
between those of Sorbara and Grasparossa, as
they combine the perfume of the former with
the structure and fl avors of the latter. In my
opinion, some Lambrusco Grasparossa wines
also seem big but chunky, and could use a little
more nuance and complexity. Again, those who
write only Lambrusco when referring to just a
single Lambrusco variety are being inaccurate,
and offer little insight into what the grapes and
wines are all about. For each Lambrusco is dis-
tinctive, and each has a story to tell.
Lambrusco wines are made most often in
secco (dry), semi-secco (off-dry), or, more rarely,
dolce (sweet) styles. There are also excellent
rosato wines. Fewer wines, from Italy or any-
where else in the world for that matter, match
better with fatty foods (for example, sausages
and charcuterie ) or staples such as tomato-based
pizzas and pastas. Just match the right Lam-
brusco to the right food and you'll come away
feeling like someone catapulted you into gastro-
nomic nirvana.

Lambrusco di Sorbara

where it's found: Emilia-Romagna (like all
Lambrusco s, mainly in the Emilia portion of
this region). national regis try code number:
115. color: red.
Perhaps the most famous of all Lambrusco s,
Lambrusco di Sorbara is the easiest to fi nd, the
most abundantly produced, and also the closest
in its characteristics to the wild grape, Vitis
vinifera silvestris. It is also the most fragrant and
lightest of all Lambrusco s—which, in versions
devoid of fruit, becomes an almost fatal fl aw.
When well made, its wines are characterized by
an intense aroma of violet; in fact, this variety is
also called Lambrusco della Viola. It is the old-