Most people who write about Lambrusco start out with what it isn’t. I suppose it’s done to convince you to keep reading…to implore you not prejudge the wine based on its name. But I feel that’s like meeting a person that’s incredibly intriguing and then asking them questions about their past before finding out more about who they are right now. That’s just not something I would do.
And so, I’m going to tell you about a lovely sparkling red I met at dinner last night.
“I like on the table,
when we’re speaking,
the light of a bottle
of intelligent wine.”
― Pablo Neruda
- Produced by: Poderi Fiorini
- Place: Emilia-Romagna, Italy (north of Tuscany and south of Veneto)
- Terre al Sole is produced with old vines
- 11.5% ABV (means drink more, feel it less)
- Variety: Lambrusco Grasparossa
- Retail price: $16
- Web link: https://www.poderifiorini.com/en/prodotto/terre-alsole-lambrusco-grasparossa-castelvetro/
A glass of warm, ripe fruit — raspberry, black cherry and red currant with vague smells of those pretty violets if they’re crushed under your shoe as you walked through a warm, damp summer forest. You get the sense some wooden stems maybe slipped inside the vat for a moment or two. In one moment there’s a bit of black pepper, in the next its roasted green pepper. It tastes fully red but in a subtle, soft and savory way–there’s no cheating with overt sweetness here to soften the tender bitterness of this wine. It’s all done with a balance and texture from well-grown, old vine grapes and great wine making. The bubbles are careful and creamy and subtle–just enough verve to lighten my meal of Swedish Potato Sausage (uh-mazing) produced by The Organic Butcher of McLean (Virginia) without overshadowing the fruit flavors– which can leave that bitterness feeling rough in some renditions. What I love most about this wine is that it tastes intelligent. It’s like meeting someone for the first time that just draws you in…who makes you want to talk more and spill your guts. It’s that person who can stand toe-to-toe with you in the most intense discussion without talking over you. And that’s a person you don’t want to miss. Same with this wine.
Wine and Roam 