Quercioli Reggiano Lambrusco

Lambrusco is a wine with a difficult past. At one point in time, there were many Lambrusco wines available, and, many of them were bad. One could purchase a bottle or jug of the frizzy wine and drown themselves in a miserable experience. Those wines had jaded me to rule out all Lambrusco wines. Until I went to the beginning ... Emilia Romagna.

Lambrusco grapes were first cultivated in that region and its history goes all the way back to when the Etruscans and Romans ruled the land. Over the years, decades and centuries, more than sixty (60) different versions of the Lambrusco grape have been cultivated. Today, just six (6) of those varietals are commonly used: Salamino, Grasparossa, Montericco, Maestri, Marani and Sorbara. There are also currently six Appellation of Origin for the wine, mostly around the cities of Mantua and Parma. 

I recently came across a wine from the Reggiano Lambrusco D.O.C. called Quercioli. Reggiano wines are the most common Lambrusco wines, coming from vineyards that line the Po River. This particular wine was on the dry side, which is how I prefer Lambrusco. (Sweet wines can stay in the bottle as far as I am concerned.) 

As this Lambrusco pours, the wonderful sound of the effervescence provides an audio track for the bubbles. Those bubbles give way to a cranberry red wine, along the cranberry tones tend to be more along the darker lines of the fruit. 

The aromatic and taste elements track what I have grown to expect from a D.O.C.  Lambrusco. There are a good amount of berry flavors in the aroma, tending toward raspberries, cherries and even a little of the sweetness from strawberries. Those berry elements carry over to the taste, with raspberries and strawberries making their presence known. The dryness that comes with a good Lambrusco is also present, with the effervescence almost feeling like a palate cleanser. 

While I have had better Lambrusco wines (anything from Cleto Chiarli ranks at the top), this wine from Quercioli is definitely worth the price and is very good. It is one that I would surely purchase again if I had the chance. Until next time ...

ENJOY!

Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena Premium

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!

Villa Cialdini

Back in 2006, I was fortunate enough to travel to Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany as part of a culinary trip through the Smithsonian Institution. One of our very first stops was a vineyard owned by Cleto Chiarli, a vineyard outside of Modena.  Cleto Chiarli specializes in Lambrusco, a  wine that originates in Emilia-Romagna.  In 1971, Italy gave  a DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) designation to a part of Emilia-Romagna  encompassing the plain around Reggio-Emilia going northward to the Po River.  Lambrusco wines made from grapes grown in this region and are made according to fairly strict codes are entitled to the DOC designation.  If you are fortunate enough to try a  Lambrusco wine with a DOC designation, you will have an experience that cannot be replicated by the mass-produced swill sold by a certain not-to-be-named-but-very-well-known producer that sells as "Lambrusco" in this country.  Riunite, anyone?

Personally, Riunite Lambruscos turned me off of the wine. However, the Lambrusco made by Cleto Chiarli reignited my interest in this wine.  The Villa Cialdini is a great Lambrusco made from grapes grown  at the Tenuata Cialdini, which is located close to the Castelvetro di Modena area.  At this site, Cleto Chiarli grows the grasparossa grape, which has a rather long history.  The grape was grown by Etruscans and Romans.  The grapes are harvested relatively late in the season.  The wine is fermented for four months in stainless steel and then bottled.  The alcohol content is 11.5%.

The Villa Cialdini is dark red in color, has a full body and is very dry.  While it is carbonated, the froth quickly gives way reveal a very drinkable wine.   This wine pairs very well with the egg pasta from Emilia-Romagna  (see the recipe for Paglia e Fieno), as well as pizza or lasagna.  Always serve this wine chilled.

You can find the Villa Cialdini  for $11.99 at the Italian Store in Arlington, VA.