Bruno Zanasi Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro D.O.P NV
Background
Juicy Brucey! Lambrusco is a region just outside of Modena, in north-central Italy famous for it’s sparkling red wine. Yes, you read correctly. This is a sparkling RED. Super cool!
Unlike Champagne and Cava, Lambrusco (and Prosecco) are made using the Tank Method, sometimes called the Charmat Method. Instead of the second ferment happening in bottle, the base wines are blended and added to a big tank, where they are inoculated with yeast and sugar and fermented relatively quickly, barely getting any contact with the lees at the bottom of the tank. This method is much less labour intensive than Traditional Method, and it’s also a lot quicker. But that’s okay. The resulting wines are fruity and juicy with big, sturdy bubbles. There are a lot less savoury flavours, but that’s kind of the idea.
Traditionally Lambrusco is only fermented enough to remove SOME of the sugar from the grape juice, not all. So most people who are familiar with it, will know it to be off-dry, almost sweet, with lower alcohol (often under 10%) and a real ‘cherry cola’ vibe. Lambrusco is often given to children because they enjoy the sweetness (Europe is a different world, after all!). This wine, however, is the one of the most serious, ADULT versions of Lambrusco we’ve come into contact with here in the city. The ferment was long enough that the wine is dry, and a solid 11.5% alcohol (pretty high for ol’ Juicy Brucey).
Tasting Notes
We tried this wine and loved it right away. We bought some for the restaurant and used it by itself as a fun aperitif, but we found it also was great with food. Yes, it smells like cherry Coke and Welch’s grape juice. But that’s okay! It finishes dry with big fat fruit tannin, and big fat bubbles. Yum!
Serve cold from the fridge!
Food Pairing
In Italy this would be served with spicy salami because the big fleshy, fruity mouth feel will wash away the heat. It’s great with salty food for the same reason. So it would be good with salty or sharp cheese (old cheese). ...Those are the ‘official pairings’. Off the record, we’d recommend you open this bottle of bubbles with some good old junk food. Lambrusco is an amazing pizza wine, but we think it would be great with cheeseburgers or Tex-Mex. Get salty, greasy, cheesy and spicy. Brucey can handle it!
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