Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Medici Ermete Solo Reggiano Lambrusco, 2007


What do you need when it is time to do battle with a huge platter of cold cuts? That's right. You pour a glass of Lambrusco, a sparkling red wine made from the varietal of the same name in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Lambrusco is frothy, meant to be drunk young, and absolutely perfect for salami, pizza, or hearty meat sauce pasta dishes.

Although sparkling, Lambrusco is rarely made in the méthode Champenoise, but is instead created using the Charmat process, where a second fermentation is conducted in a pressurized tank. As a result of an inundation of cheap Lambrusco in the 1970's, expectations for this wine are generally quite low. However, some artisan wines are produced, although they are hard to find. This particular bottling, the 2007 Medici Ermete Solo Reggiano "Le Tenute," is one of those, showing a dry frizzante brimming with rich blackberry and floral notes on the nose, followed by more cherry and strawberry fruit and a distinct earthiness in the mouth, balanced to ripe tannins and beautiful acidity. Balanced, fun, and possessed of mild minerality, this wine finishes clean and bright. $14.

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