The Return of "Real" Lambrusco

Sometime around 2006, I bought a bottle of Italian wine with the type of topper that would indicate that it would contain some bubbles. A bulging head of the cork braced with a metal clasp. The label identified the bottle as Grasparossa di Castelvetro, which I was not familiar with and I assumed it would be a pleasant tipple like the lightly sweet and frizzante red Brachetto d'Acqui. So, with my mind wrapped around that thought, I was soured, literally and figuratively, by this dry, frothy, red wine with essence of wild fruits. It wasn't bad, just not what I was expecting. Actually, I didn't know what to think of it.

And there, was my first introduction with "real" lambrusco and like most consumers, I was faced with a lack of knowledge that grasparossa is the most common variety of the lambrusco grape, the unappreciated cousin to vitis vinifera, the noble wine grape. Forward a couple years later to 2008 while I was the wine director at a large South Jersey wine and spirits store. With that initial lambrusco experience and the curiosity to find it again, I went on a determined search for it. However, hunting for "real" lambrusco became more like trying to find a UFO with a raccoon tail attached to the antenna.

Then one day while browsing through a wine wholesalers product list, I found some. Since the importer, Frederick Wildman, is a quality supplier, I gave it a shot and bought a combination of all four available products from Cleto Chiarli to bring in the store and open for a public in-store tasting where I could evaluate them as well as gauge customer reaction. I was like a kid with a new toy and the customers were curiously delighted.

All were very good and they really piqued my interest as a food person in how to make the most of their potential with food pairings.  After doing some research online, I paired them with a close resemblance of the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, the culinary heart of Italy. A tagliatelle with a rustic meat ragu and I improvised with simple pork ribs sauteed with onions, red bell peppers and herbs.

Lambrusco is best served cool, except for the full sparkling wines which are served the same temperature as any champagne. First up was Chiarli's Pruno Nero, made from the grasparossa variety of lambrusco grape. Medium ruby red, lightly sweet and frothy. Of the group this most resembled the sweet soda-pop lambruscos that became hugely popular in the 70's, which were a perfect quencher while watching Threes Company or Starsky and Hutch. Wines like Riunite, which used to be the number 1 import. However, the Pruno Nero had a distinctly more serious fruit profile.



This Chiarli "Enrico Cialdini" proved to be a marvelous wine for the Thanksgiving table this year.

More typical of the "real" lambrusco style is Chiarli's "Enrico Cialdini" and "Vecchia Modena". These were fully dry, frothy and with wild berry fruits and floral aromas, the Enrico being the more elegant and the Modena, darker and more brooding. The fourth offering was a most delicious and elegant sparkling rose which was a blend of grasparossa and pinot noir. Pale in color with a vibrant, silky, mousse and long lasting red berry fruits and a hint of spice.

  

I like to challenge a customers perception of wine. Right away I felt I needed to set up an in-store display and spread the word of these agreeable wines. And the creation of an eye grabbing sign which I attached to a former bourbon display stand. My catch phrase became "I didn't know that! There is a REAL lambrusco?" In short, acceptance was positive and sales solid for such an obscure wine that I have come to favor. Unlike some specialty wines which can be expensive, these were all under $20.

Coming back to the present, it is gratifying to know that "real" lambrusco is starting to grab media attention and placement in some restaurants, like Osteria Morini in Manhattan. Hopefully, more importers will bring more lambruscos to the forefront, as currently, there are few to be found.

In a realistic angle, neither mainstream jouranalists or a well known Manhattan restaurant are typical of the real life in the marketplace. In general, it is still difficult to find any "real" lambrusco. At a recent NYC wine tasting event with the Frederick Wildman portfolio, I had the chance to meet Rico Grootveldt, the export manager for Chiarli. I stood by his table to watch the interaction with other wine buyers. The acceptance was very positive, but I wondered how capable wine retailers will be in getting their customers to bite. Time will tell how well they catch on. At least I know where to get them.