Think Lambrusco Is Too Sweet? Have Another Taste … | Hannah Crosbie On Drinks

Last week, I ended my book circuit pinch an arena astatine Elliott’s successful Edinburgh for nan city’s book festival. These tastings usually return spot connected a week night, truthful I thin to opt for 3 easy-drinking favourites. A kabinett riesling? Check. A fruity côtes du Rhône? Check. Then I spied a lambrusco. I emotion starting nan evening pinch a joyous solid of thing fizzy but, to my surprise, galore members of nan assemblage remarked really they didn’t person nan champion memories of lambrusco.

I suppose I’m showing my property here, because each I cognize of lambrusco is nan delicious, bone-dry examples that popular up astatine chic cook residencies and firmly astatine nan apical of vino lists successful superb Italian restaurants. Most of my audience, however, recalled it alternatively little fondly: arsenic a super-sweet portion that seems to person wedged itself irreversibly into nan encephalon of anyone who was live and drinking successful nan 1970s and 80s.

If super-sweet is your thing, person astatine it, but it’s my awesome pleasance to pass nan remainder of you that there’s truthful overmuch much to discover. Lambrusco comes from nan region of Emilia-Romagna, wherever location are 8 related lambrusco varieties that nutrient a scope of styles – dry, off-dry, red, pink, achromatic – truthful there’s thing to fresh each palate.

Indeed, while I was successful Edinburgh, I had a bully luncheon astatine Sotto, an enoteca and trattoria that opened past year, wherever I was pleased to spot a vessel of lambrusco connected nan menu. It’s a vino that proprietor and sommelier James Clark says has an important portion to play connected his list: “Lambrusco challenges people’s preconceptions: you tin bring a array of group from my parents’ procreation a solid of thing dry, floral and elegant that is unrecognisable from what they thought lambrusco is.”

And what of nutrient pairings? “It tin comfortably beryllium alongside a scope of foods,” Clark says. “It’s awesome pinch cured meats and fried antipasti, say, and moreover spicy food. We often person a gnocchi fritto pinch culatello [a type of cured pork] connected nan menu, and I cannot deliberation of a amended pairing for that than a solid of lambrusco.”

Lambrusco is besides my go-to pizza wine. The crockery and nan portion stock a conviviality, and nan reddish consequence meets nan freshness of bully herb sauce. If you’ve sewage a friend whose quarter/midlife situation has travel successful nan style of a hi-tech pizza oven, springiness them an excuse to occurrence it up and bring complete a vessel of reddish fizz.

Four lambruscos to astonishment your palate

Nivola Lambrusco £13 (or £12 connected ‘“mix-six”) Majestic, 10.5%. Slightly saccharine and afloat of fruit, this is deep, acheronian cherry.

Medici Ermete ‘Concerto’ Lambrusco £14.75 Hic!, 11.5%. Dry pinch agleam reddish fruit, this is nan 1 Sotto has connected its winelist.

Paltrinieri Solco Lambrusco £19.95 Buon Vino, 11%. Off-dry and balanced. I scope for a vessel whenever I spot it successful an indie.

Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena Lambrusco Sorbara £19 Hic!, 11%. Wild, caller and 100% lambrusco di sorbara.