WTN: '05 Gelsomina Lambrusco

A friend dropped off a stick of homemade salami, so I figured I'd see how it went with this. It's a blend of 70% lambrusco, 30% ancellotta, 0.5% alcohol, $10.99. I drank it lightly chilled.

Upon pouring, you get plenty of frothy red mousse. The wine itself is a clear dark ruby color. With the chill on it, there wasn't much of a smell other than a slight bit of grapiness. In the mouth, it's a fairly austere wine. There's a bit of red fruit character with plenty of acidity and a finish that combined the red fruit, chalky dryness, and a touch of tannin. Definitely not your father's Riunite, it was a back-of-the-tongue wine if you know what I mean. It went quite well with the salami, the chalkiness cutting through the fat and leaving a clean blend of flavors. I liked it, but I don't know that I'll buy much more as my wife was not at all impressed. Highly recommended for anyone who hasn't had a dry lambrusco.

Mike

Mike, was it really only half a percent alcohol? That sounds like must to me ... Did you mean 5%?

I've not had this wine but the idea of dry lambrusco, to me, sounds much more appealing than anything sweet in that genre.

Might have been 10.5% Alc.

Yep, good food choice for it and it really does work well with a selection of cold stuff from the deli's in Emilia-Romagna. As a wine on it's own even the good dry ones like this would rate badly against our normal view of good wines. Still I've got two bottles in the cellar, which will come out in spring or summer and I daresay with the right food they'll do very nicely indeed.

Yep, good food choice for it and it really does work well with a selection of cold stuff from the deli's in Emilia-Romagna. As a wine on it's own even the good dry ones like this would rate badly against our normal view of good wines.

Not in my book. Good dry Lambrusco is an delicious combination with salame, pizza, and pasta with ragu; any wine that goes that well with those foods is a 'good wine' by definition, in my opinion.

Incidentally I wouldn't age them in your cellar. These kind of cuve close wines are best drunk fresh, like fino sherry.

Oliver
Bought this autumn - they'll wait till summer
regards
Ian

Mike, was it really only half a percent alcohol? That sounds like must to me ... Did you mean 5%?

I've not had this wine but the idea of dry lambrusco, to me, sounds much more appealing than anything sweet in that genre.

Man, I gotta learn to proofread my stuff. It was indeed 10.5%.


Mike

This reminds me of a pet peeve: Nick Belfrage called one of his books on Italian wine 'Life after Lambrusco,' as if it were an affliction. The fact that there are lots of bad ones is no excuse, that's true of almost any wine appellation.

This reminds me of a pet peeve: Nick Belfrage called one of his books on Italian wine 'Life after Lambrusco,' as if it were an affliction. The fact that there are lots of bad ones is no excuse, that's true of almost any wine appellation.

Good point, Oliver, and a reminder that one needs to keep at least something of an open mind with any type of wine. Just because there are a lot of dull and insipid Cal chards (for instance) out there doesn't mean there aren't some wondrous ones as well.

Mike

I liked it, but I don't know that I'll buy much more as my wife was not at all impressed. Mike

Mighty nice of you.

Sounds like a healthy marriage.