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Ubi caseus parmensis,
labruscum
Where there is parmigiano reggiano,
you will surely find Lambrusco.
--Anonymous, Ancient Latin Saying
In his book, Life Beyond Lambrusco, Nicolas Belfrage makes it seem that Lambrusco
is not worth drinking. In fact, to this day, many Lambrusco
producers still do not speak to him.
However, in his latest book, From Barolo to Valpolicella,
he makes the following statement: "There is such a thing as a good Lambrusco. I personally enjoy drinking it very
much."
What changed his opinion, you may ask? The Lambrusco
that was coming into this country for many years was not very well made and
very, very sweet. One had to go to Emilia (not Romagna, because they don't drink it in Romagna), to the great eating cities of Bologna,
Parma, Reggio Emilia, and Modena in order to get great Lambrusco. When we were in these cities, all that Michele
and I drank was Lambrusco. It went with all the
food of the region, bollito misto, parmigiano
reggiano, prosciutto
di Parma, tortellini in brodo, tagliatelle alla bolognese,
and ravioli stuffed with almost anything. In a restaurant in Roncole Verdi called Guareschi
(owned by the son of the famous author of the Don Camillo
series), we had one of the simplest and best desserts I've ever eaten: Parmigiano Reggiano, walnuts in
their shells, fresh ripe pears, and a bottle of dry Lambrusco.
The combination was heavenly.
Now, however, you do not have to go to Emilia to
get good Lambrusco. Its available in increasing
amounts in restaurants and wine stores in the New York area. Dry Lambrusco
should be served chilled and is a great combination for many different foods.
The fruitiness and the fizziness cuts
many heavier foods, making a great combination.
The three top clones of Lambrusco are as follows: Grasparosso (which means "red stem" or
"bunch"), Sorbara (which is a village),
and also the most delicate and some believe the most sought-after, Salamino (which means "little salame"
because the bunches are shaped like sausages). All
of these make very good dry Lambrusco and you
should look for them in your local wine store and restaurants.
Lambrusco is not only grown in Emilia
but also in Lombardia, not far from the city of Mantova.
Very good Lambrusco is made there and there is one
in particular that has a very dark color, is a little heavier, and has a
little more body than some of the others. This is the Mantovano by Ca' de' Medici.
If you get the chance to go to Emilia, you will
find yourself surrounded by more food stores than you can count, generous
people who walk around the street munching on focaccia
or some other type of bread, a countryside which is flat and produces some of
the best milk, cheese, and salume in Italy. With
all of this wonderful food, what do they people who produce it drink? They
drink dry Lambrusco. The Emilians
understand food and with their food they drink Lambrusco.
--Charles Scicolone, Wine Director, I Trulli and
Vino
Charles would love to hear from you. Please email him at charles@vinosite.com.
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