Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Montericco near Reggio Emilia, is character-
ized by distinctive, very long, medium-large,
pyramidal, loosely-packed clusters and ellipti-
cal blue-purple berries. Though susceptible to
most grapevine diseases, it guarantees good,
regular yields, and the wine is actually very
interesting, balanced and fruity, with low alco-
hol and rather high acidity levels. It is used in
DOC wines such as Colli di Scandiano e
Canossa, Reggiano, and Modena, and IGT
wines such as Emilia, Ravenna, and Rubicone.
I would like to see more wines made with this
variety. Boccacci, Torello Marinoni, Gambino,
Botta, and Schneider (2005), who studied par-
entage relationships via molecular analysis,
suggest a parent-offspring relationship between
Uva Tosca and Lambrusco Montericco.
A very rare
Lambrusco
is Lambrusco Gonzaga
(not listed in the National Registry), which is
found only in old vineyards around Reggio
Emilia and in the experimental vineyard of the
Istituto A. Zanelli in Reggio Emilia. The Lam-
brusco Gonzaga wines I have tried are simple,
light, and not complex, but I haven't tried
enough pure Gonzaga wines (microvinifi cations
included) to be sure. Perhaps this nobly named
variety (the Gonzaga family was once almost as
famous as the Medici of Florence and the Vis-
conti of Milan) may yet have a story to tell.
Also found in the experimental vineyard at
the Zanelli Institute is the curiously named
Lambrusco Nobel (not listed in the National
Registry), which locals tell me is so called
because the wine is, wouldn't you know it, “so
good it deserves a Nobel prize.” My tastings of
it (albeit in very artisanally made potions) have
led me to question if said locals aren't perhaps
imbibing way too much of the stuff, for I had
trouble fi nding many redeeming features in it.
I will say that it's a pretty enough grape, with
medium to medium-large clusters and
medium-small, intensely blue berries.
Lambrusco Benetti (National Registry code
number 451) is a brand-new, or more precisely,
recently rediscovered
Lambrusco
cultivar typical
of the areas between Carpi and Campogalliano
near Modena. With respect to other
Lambrusco
varieties, it is just as generous a producer, but
its budbreak and fl owering occur earlier, and it
ripens later. It is of particular interest not just
for the quality of its wines, but because of its
considerable botrytis resistance, which makes
it an ideal choice for estates that practice
organic and biodynamic farming methods.
Lambrusco Oliva (National Registry code
number 360) appears to be an extremely high-
quality variety. It is sometimes also called Lam-
brusco Mazzone near Reggio Emilia and
Olivone near Mantova. It was originally believed
to be a biotype of Lambrusco di Sorbara, but
was later demonstrated to be a separate variety.
It ripens early in September, setting it apart
from other
Lambrusco
s, which usually ripen in
the end of September and most often in early
October. It also looks quite different from the
other
Lambrusco
varieties: Lambrusco Oliva is
characterized by medium-large, pyramidal,
stocky bunches and medium-sized, thick-
skinned, oval berries that are unlike those of
any other
Lambrusco:
their olive-like appear-
ance gives this variety its name. It offers good
but irregular yields. Since 2012, one clone has
been available, the Ampelos DGV 3. The wines
are intensely colored, and have a richer, fruitier
fl avor than those made with Lambrusco di Sor-
bara; just as in the latter wines, there is an obvi-
ous saline quality accompanying the bright
strawberry and raspberry fl avors. Artisanally
made wines I have tried were also more tannic
than I am used to Lambrusco di Sorbara wines
being.
Last but not least, Lambrusco Pjcol Ross is
no longer classifi ed, in academic circles at least,
as a
Lambrusco,
as it's been proven identical to
Terrano, a cultivar grown mainly in Friuli, Slo-
venia, and Croatia. Understandably, local pro-
ducers (such as the standout estates of Rinaldini
and La Piccola) prefer to continue speaking of it
in terms of a local biotype that differs greatly
from Friuli Venezia Giulia's Terrano.
If after all that you fi nd you still haven't had
enough
Lambrusco
information to last you a
lifetime, reach for a bottle of Migliolungo, the
truly unique red wine made in Emilia-Romagna
