Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Lambrusco Salamino
is a close relative of Fogarina, a variety native to
Emilia-Romagna (Boccacci, Torello Marinoni,
Gambino, Botta, and Schneider 2005). Nowa-
days, it grows mainly in the countryside around
Reggio Emilio near towns such as Campagnola,
Fabbrico, Novellara, Rolo, and Rio Saliceto, the
same habitat as Lambrusco Maestri: the two are
often planted together in the same vineyard.
Today it is also grown around Bologna and
Mantova: at over twenty-three hundred hec-
tares planted as of 2000, it was a relatively
abundant
Lambrusco
but things have changed
greatly over the course of the last ten years, and
its surface under vine has decreased by 41 per-
cent. This is because modern producers prefer
to plant (or replant) Lambrusco Maestri, which
gives much fruitier and richer wines. Available
clones include R2 and CAB 8A, and all are
characterized by looser-packed bunches and
smaller, almost elliptical berries than most
other
Lambrusco
s.
where it's found:
Emilia-Romagna.
national
registry code number:
120.
color:
red.
Given Italy's love affair with
salame
(over
two hundred and fi fty varieties at last count,
and you thought the country had too many
grape varieties!), it's not surprising that a
grapevine would be named after one of the
country's favorite foods. Lambrusco Salamino
is so called for its appearance: the short and
cylindrical grape bunch will remind you, and
everyone else, of a
salame.
Though also called
Lambrusco Galassi and Lambruschino, the
most commonly used synonym is Lambrusco
Salamino di Santa Croce, as it originates from
the area of Santa Croce di Carpi near Modena.
Like other
Lambrusco
varieties it exhibits great
intravarietal variability, with at least fi ve differ-
ent biotypes described:
tenero
(soft),
foglia rossa
(red leaf),
foglia verde
(green leaf),
graspo rosso
(red-stalked), and
graspo verde
(green-stalked).
It has always been felt that the green-leafed bio-
type was the hardiest and most productive, but
the wine made with the other varieties was
usually higher in quality. At over four thou-
sand hectares, it is the most abundantly planted
of all
Lambrusco
s, grown mainly in the prov-
inces of Modena and Reggio Emilia (around
Correggio, Fabbrico, Rio Saliceto, and San Mar-
tino in Rio, more or less where Lambrusco
Marani grows), and more rarely around Bolo-
gna, Ferrara, and Mantova. Its abundance in
the Modena countryside (Carpi is located in
the northwestern sector of this province) is
explained not just by its intrinsic qualities (in
some respects, it's the best of all
Lambrusco
s, as
its wines combine the grace and fragrance of
Lambrusco di Sorbara with the power and body
of Lambrusco Grasparossa) but because it is
also used as a pollinator for the Sorbara variety.
Blessed by good vigor, it is a late ripener like all
Lambrusco
s (on average, harvest occurs in mid-
October), but guarantees steady, copious yields.
It likes fresher soils and can stand up to humid
conditions very well; botrytis is only a problem
for those biotypes with more compact bunches.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
The wines are fruity and tannic, and thanks to
fairly high total acidity, come across as having a
more fl oral quality (violet, iris, peony) and a lit-
tle less sweetness and fruity fl esh (black cur-
rant and red cherry, instead of ripe black
cherry) than those made with Lambrusco
Maestri. I fi nd well-made Marani wines to be
refi ned and not too tannic, with a bright, juicy
personality. Marani is the mainstay variety of
DOC Reggiano Lambrusco, but is also part of
the DOC blends of Lombardy's Lambrusco
Mantovano and Emilia-Romagna's Colli di
Scandiano e Canosa wines (where it is usually
blended with Lambrusco Montericco). It is
present in such IGT blends as Emilia (or
dell'Emilia), Forlì, Lambrusco Mantovano,
Quistello, Ravenna, Reggiano, Rubicone, and
Sabbioneta, and others.
wines to try:
Rinaldini-Moro*** (Osè) and
Cantine Riunite* (L'Olma, 85 percent Lam-
brusco Marani, 15 percent Lambrusco
Salamino and Ancellotta, which they call
Lambrusco Lancellotta).
