Today’s monthly #ItalianFWT blogger group is concentrating on Lambrusco, in anticipation of Lambrusco Day which is June 21st. Jennifer from Vino Travels, our host, posted this primer here. I have been drinking Lambrusco for a long time. I’ve always appreciated it both as a stand alone wine and for pairing with certain foods such as charcuterie. I always find Lambrusco so refreshing and often order it when I see it on a menu by the glass. I think it’s perfect on a hot day in the summer as well. Usually well priced, the one I had is available for around $18. I’ve written a long series of posts about Lambrusco varieties which I will link to in this post. This past weekend I had a new one from Vitivinicola Rota.

The family has a property of 27 hectares  in  Castellazzo, which is the heart of Lambrusco country between Modena and Reggio Emilia. They also rent 21 hectares on other farms. A family run winery that started in its current location when Benso Rota bought the  farm in the 1950s. Benso’s father had also worked in wine since the early years of the century, 1907.  Today, Dario Rota, Benso’s son runs the farm.

They grow a number of the Lambrusco varieties including Salamino, Maestri, Marani, Grasparossa and Ancelotta. The family began has been farming organically since 2005 and is certified for producing “organically grown grapes” in 2009.

I tasted their Lambrusco 27 Rota. It was lovely with all the traditional aromas and flavors I find in Lambrusco – berries, red and black, earthy tones and nice acidity. I also love the low alcohol, 12%, and the frizzante nature of this wine which was bottled at 2.6 bar, much lower than what you see in Franciacorta for example which is 5-6 bars of pressure, depending on which wine you are tasting.

While Rota works with some of the Lambrusco varieties, they don’t work with Sorbara, oft considered the most prestigious of the Lambrusco varietes.  Lambrusco Reggiano is mentioned a lot I see but it is not a variety but is rather a DOC wine.

I have written about a few other varieties that I will link to here:

Lambrusco di Alessandria and Lambrusco a Foglia Frastagliata 

Lambrusco Montericco

Lambrusco Oliva

Lambrusco Viadanese

The world of Lambrusco is fascinating and whenever I try one, I am transported back to Emilia, a region I love and where I went to graduate school. A city that should be on your radar, the whole region in fact.

There is also a Lambrusco from Mantova that should be mentioned and which I wrote about here:  Lambrusco Mantovano.

Join us on Twitter later today, June 1st, at 11 am EDT.  To follow, use the hashtag #ItalianFWT.  All are welcome anyone who’s interested in the topic – food pairings, tasting notes, and travel tips are all part of the conversation.

• Camilla from the Culinary Adventures with Camilla will be featuring “Every Wine Deserves a Second Look: Warmed Brie with Mulberry Chutney + Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco di Sorbara Vecchia Modena 2018”
• Jill at L’Occasion shares “La Collina Biodynamic Bubbles — Lambrusco!”
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm highlights “Lambrusco? Really??”
• Deanna from Asian Test Kitchen will showcase “Top 5 Fast Food Pairings with Lambrusco”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click will share “Lambrusco Shines with Red Fizz and Fun”
• Cindy of Grape Experiences will feature “Italian Old-School Classics: Easy Drinking Lambrusco with Spicy Vegetarian Pensa Romana”
• Marcia of the Joy of Wine will be highlighting “Lambrusco – The Star of Emilia-Romagna”
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass will be sharing “Drinking Lambrusco in Strawberry Season”
• Pinny of Chinese Food and Wine Pairings  is focused on “Picnicking with Scarpetta Frico Lambrusco”
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish will be sharing “Revisiting Lambrusco with Francesco Vezzelli Rive dei Ciliegi”
• Nicole with Somm’s Table shares “Cooking to the Wine: Pezzuoli Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro with Antipasto Pizza”
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator will be showcasing “Bugno Martino’s Organic Lambrusco Defy Expectations”
• Susannah of Avvinare will be featuring “Lambrusco from Vitivinicola Rota”
• Our host Jennifer of Vino Travels is sharing “Over 150 years of Dedication to Lambrusco with Cleto Chiarli.”