Who remembers when Lambrusco was still a thing? Fizzy, light and fun, easy to drink, for many of us it was something like the gateway wine. Pop a Riunite? Chill a Cella? These were the Pepsi and Coke of adult beverages when the Baby Boom was growing up and grabbing on to the leading edge of this then-trendy thing called wine.

The Pepsi-Coke analogy is not carelessly chosen, either. If you think about it, these “pop” wines were the cola drinks of the adult-beverage world. Lambrusco, particularly these industrially produced “Made For America” labels, were simple, soft and sweet, carbonated with a thirst-quenching prickle, and even boasted a flavor profile not entirely dissimilar to Coke: Sweet, tart, a hint of bitter, but not too much of anything but sweet.

Looking back on it now, it’s hard to believe that we really liked that stuff.

And I can certainly understand how many of you, seeing that word “Lambrusco” in the headline, might be tempted to turn away.

But stick with me here. As it was then, so it is now: Toiling in obscurity in the shadow of the popular industrial producers (and yes, Cella and Riunite are both still available), there are dozens of small, artisan wine makers producing a style of Lambrusco that’s very different indeed: Still fizzy, still fun, but also nuanced, balanced, and delicious both with food and on its own.

Lambrusco is made from the grape of the same name in the region Emilia-Romagna, whose capital is Bologna. It should not pass without notice that Emilia-Romagna in general and Bologna in particular (nicknamed “Bologna the fat” by Italian gourmands) is a culinary center of a food-and-drink-loving nation. Like Lyon in France, it is one of the country’s top foodie destinations. Before we rush to dismiss Lambrusco as trivial, we should consider that it is beloved in a land of people who know their food.

Today’s featured wine, Cleto Chiarli “Vecchia Modena Premium” Lambrusco di Sorbara Secco, comes from Modena, a town even better known for its great balsamic vinegar; it’s made from a sub-variety called Lambrusco di Sorbara. Like many artisinal Lambruscos, it keeps its fizz in the bottle with a simplified version of the classic Champagne-style cork. (See image.)

Here’s a link to a translated-into-English page from the Modena tourism folks, briefly outlining a purported history that traces Lambrusco’s roots back to the second century BCE. You’ll find my tasting report and where-to-buy-it information below.

 

Today’s Sponsor:

$1 Shipping Fall Wine Sale—Last Call!

Don’t miss your chance to save on award-winning, limited production wines during The California Wine Club‘s $1 Shipping Fall Wine Sale.
Stock up for the holidays with 200+ wines on sale for as low as $9.99. Every wine is handcrafted and guaranteed to be delicious.
Shop Now!
Sale ends Sept. 30, 2015.

About The California Wine Club:
California is home to thousands of small family wineries handcrafting extraordinary wine in quantities too limited to be found in local stores or shops. In 1990 wine club founders Bruce and Pam Boring discovered that these winemaking families were the most passionate in the wine world and that their wines were the hidden gems of wine country! Together Bruce and Pam embarked on a journey to help these artisan wineries introduce their exquisite wines to the world.
Learn more.
www.cawineclub.com 1-800-777-4443

 

Today’s Tasting Report

Cleto Chiarli “Vecchia Modena Premium” Lambrusco di Sorbara Secco ($13.99)

Pull off the plastic clip that holds down its fun, mushroom-shaped cap, and this wine opens with a pop and pours with a short-lived fizz. Clear, light reddish orange, fading to watery pale at the edge, almost a rosé. Very attractive red-berry scents, a pleasant mix of raspberries and strawberries. Red fruit on the palate follows the nose, with more carbonation in the mouthfeel than you see in the glass. Fresh, crisp acidity and a distinct note of pleasant but perceptible bitterness in the finish. Interesting sipping wine, light and gulpable at 11% alcohol, clean and palate-cleansing in the long, fresh finish. U.S. importer: Cleto Chiarli USA via Dalla Terra Winery Direct, Napa, Calif. (Sept. 24, 2015)

FOOD MATCH: A stereotypical match with pizza, pasta and burgers, it was just fine with spaghetti with a meat sauce made with fresh garden tomatoes.

WHEN TO DRINK: There’s no point in cellaring this fresh, non-vintage wine. Buy it, drink it, buy it again.

VALUE: For a pleasant change of pace, my local price came in below Wine-Searcher.com’s median U.S. retail price of $17 for Cleto Chiarli “Vecchia Modena Premium” Lambrusco di Sorbara Secco. I’ll call it a value at any point in the teens, but it may be worth shopping around if your local price is above the average.

WEB LINKS Importer Dalla Terra has information about Cleto Chiarli here. For a PDF fact sheet on the Lambrusco di Sorbara, click here. Want the original source? Click here for the Cleto Chiarli web page in Italian.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and locate vendors for Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco on Wine-Searcher.com.

Looking for more artisanal Lambrusco? Check out this good article on Wine-Searcher.com, and page down for this extensive list of vendors and prices.

 

We hope you’ll “Like” us on Facebook!

If you use Facebook, we’d be delighted to have you “Like” our WineLovers Facebook Page. This way you can get Facebook notifications when there’s a new The 30 Second Wine Advisor issue or a topic of particular interest on the WineLovers Discussion Group (WLDG).

If you’re a Facebook user, you can also now join our forum with a single click! All you need to do is visit the forum and click the “Social Login” link at upper right.

 

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today’s article or wine in general, you’re always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet’s first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:

Wine Lovers Discussion Group

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. If you’re a Facebook user, you can also now join our forum with a single click! All you need to do is visit the forum and click the “Social Login” link at upper right.

We use only your name and Email to identify you and make no other claim on your Facebook information or privacy. However, if you prefer not to use Facebook, contact me at wine@wineloverspage.com for information about registration.

 

Subscriptions and Administrivia

Unsubscribe:

We’re sorry if you must leave us, but simply click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of your Email edition to be instantly removed from the mailing list.

Change address:

The quickest and easiest way to change your Email address is simply to register anew, using the link below. If you are keeping your old address but no longer wish to get the Wine Advisor there, click the unsubscribe link below to take it off our list; if you are closing the mailbox, you needn’t take any action, as our system will delete your old address as soon as the mail to your old address starts to “bounce.”

Subscribe to this weekly E-letter (free)

WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free):
http://feeds.feedburner.com/wineloverspage/tzva

Wine Advisor Archives

Sponsorship Opportunities:
For information, E-mail wine@wineloverspage.com