With this wine, I return to where all of my wine reviews started. The very first wine "review" on my blog was of Cleto Chiarli's Villa Cialdini. Although I have tasted many wines, and have tried to refine my wine reviewing skills, I still have a lot of work to do. Having the opportunity to try some great wines is perhaps the best incentive to continue to review wines.
Cleto Chiarli is one of the more well known Lambrusco vineyards in Emilia Romagna. It was founded in 1860 near Modena and, for more than 150 years, Cleto Chiarli has been producing some amazing Lambrusco wines. One such wine is the Vecchia Modena Premium, a wine that, in 1900, got an "Honorable Mention" at the Exposition Universelle de Paris. And, for 110 years, that "Honorable Mention" has been printed on the label of the wine.
The grapes for this wine are selected from the vines of Azienda Agricola Chiarli of Sozzigalli. The treatment of these grapes by Cleto Charli produces a wine that shares many of the typical features of Lambruscos, while still retaining a couple of unique qualities that make it stand out from those wines. Like other Lambrusco wines, the Vecchia Modena Premium is a highly carbonated, light red wine. The wine has a low alcohol content, at around 11%. However, the Vecchia Modena Premium pours a very pink color, which is much lighter in color than other Lambruscos that I've had. This wine is very light and very refreshing, which is nice in a Lambrusco, but that lightness dulls the flavor of the fruit in the wine.
The Vecchia Modena Premium does not appear to be widely distributed. I found this wine at the Italian Store in Arlington, Virginia and it is most likely found at other Italian stores that sell wines. The wine sells for $14.99 a bottle.
ENJOY!
7 comments:
Keith you have really upgraded the graphics on your site! Bravo! How did you do it? I love reading your blog. Keep it up. I'm a great fan. Alice
Chiarli's Premium has 11% alcohol and is one of the greatest Lambruscos produced today. If the alcohol would be any lower it would fall into the group of industrial (3% to 10%) Lambruscos.
"Light color". That's the true color of a Lambrusco (wine) made from 100% Lambrusco Sorbara (grape), one of the 6 most commonly used Lambrusco grape varieties. The other are: L. Salamino, L. Maestri, L. Marani, L. Grasparossa, L. Montericco.
"Light color". That's the true color of a Lambrusco (wine) made from 100% Lambrusco Sorbara (grape), one of the 6 most commonly used Lambrusco grape varieties. The others are: L. Salamino, L. Maestri, L. Marani, L. Grasparossa, L. Montericco.
Thank you for your input. You may be correct that the Vecchia Premium has an 11% ABV. I cannot verify that at this time, as I have not had the wine since 2010. As for my characterization of the wine's "light color," that is my opinion as to the color of the wine. I am not a professional wine review and none of the reviews should be taken as such.
Lambrusco is also producted in Mantova, first city in Lombardy, leaving Modena and Emilia Romagna.
This side grapes for lambrusco are less dry, a bit more round in taste. Less "brusco" as we use to say here in Mantova.
Especially Groppello Ruberti.
Some remarkable Lambruscos I would advice are: Mantè Rosso from Cantina di Gonzaga, and the excellent Salamino Santa Croce from Vigneto Saetti, made with organic grapes through champenoise method
Thank you very much for your comment. I appreciate the information about the Lambruscos produced in Mantova. I will definitely keep an eye out for the wines you recommend.
Post a Comment