Lambrusco Celebration with Italian Food, Wine and Travel Bloggers
This month, our #ItalianFWT blogging group is celebrating Lambrusco, that fun fizzy red wine from Emilia-Romagna. High quality Lambrusco is light years away from Riunite for those of you who remember it, so come along with our group as we explore all things Lambrusco! Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a list of links to all our bloggers' Lambrusco discoveries.

Lambrusco 101
Lambrusco is a sparkling wine from the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. It's made from one of several Lambrusco grape varieties and is typically a red or rosato color, although a few are white. The grapes are first fermented into a relatively low alcohol, high acid wine. Second fermentation for the development of the bubbles is typically made by the Charmat or tank method in which the base wine has a sugar source added as well as yeast. The tank is sealed so the fermentation produces additional alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide has no where to go, so it goes into solution as the natural carbonation for the wine. Lambrusco wines can be fully sparkling, Spumante, or lightly sparkling, Frizzante. Look for a Lambrusco that has over 11% abv for the higher quality, dry versions.

Vigneto Saetti
Luciano Saetti started his winery back in 1998, though his family has been farming grapes in the region for much longer. He farms only 2.8 hectares (a little less than 7 acres) of certified organic grapes. The family takes great pride in minimal intervention in both the vineyard and winery, and over time has been able to produce their wines without the addition of sulfur dioxide. Their Lambruscos are made in the traditional method with second fermentation performed in the bottle, using grape must as the sweet agent along with yeast. The wines are disgorged after fermentation is complete and the wines have rested on their lees for several months. No sulfur dioxide is added at disgorgement and final sealing. Operating without preservatives can be risky as spoilage is more likely, however, the purity of flavors is also more noticeable, perhaps worth the risk!

Vigneto Saetti
Eye: Medium ruby with gentle, frizzante bubbles
Nose: Medium plus intensity aromas of ripe blueberries, blackberries, earth, leather, balsamic, a bit of volatile acidity
Mouth: Dry, high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, medium plus flavor intensity, medium finish with a touch of bitterness. Flavors follow the aromas with the addition of a bit of bitterness, reminiscent of radicchio.
Observations: This wine shows as a nice Lambrusco, with a noticeable note of volatile acidity. Julie didn't care for it, I found it an interesting element.

Emilia-Romagna Apertivo
Apertivo is that great time in the afternoon, after work but before dinner. Stop at a wine bar and enjoy a glass of Lambrusco with your friends and a few bites of something local and delectable. In Emilia-Romagna, that might include Prosciutto di Parma, Mortadella (American bologna is a pale imitation), Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, some high quality Balsamic vinegar and perhaps some local olives. Try it yourself, see if you can find some good quality Italian products from your local deli - especially those from Emilia-Romagna, and a bottle of Lambrusco. Celebration!

Links to other Lambrusco Discoveries
Curious about Lambrusco? It's definitely worth a trip to your local wine shop. Take a look at our posts below for some ideas to help guide your search. Why not join our Lambrusco chat on Saturday June 5 from 10-11am CT? Just search for us with the #ItalianFWT tag on Twitter, we'll be looking for you!