This month we’ll be exploring the sparkling red Lambrusco wines of Denny Bini. Lambrusco is a sparkling red wine made in the northern Italian provinces of Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. These wines are produced from a number of darkly colored red grape varieties including Lambrusco di Grasparossa, Lambrusco Sorbara, Lambrusco Salomino, Lambrusco Maestri, and more that are all indigenous to the region and are used almost exclusively in these sparkling red wines; a very unusual practice in European winemaking. Even more unusual, traditionally these vines were often allowed to grow up poplar trees as a form of trellising. While the region fell victim to industrialization in the latter half of the 20th century, resulting in oceans of artificially sweet and cheap wines, Lambrusco is currently going through a tremendous renaissance with artisanal producers making beautiful wines of place. Don’t be fooled by the old reputation for cloying sweetness; these are fine wines that don’t skimp on fun, and they’re perfect for the Thanksgiving table.
This brings us to one of our favorite producers, Denny Bini. Bini is a young vigneron in the Emilia region with a deep commitment to both organic farming practices in his small home vineyard and a return to the traditional methods of producing lambrusco. To this end, he ferments all his wines in the ancestral method, bottling the wine while it is still fermenting in order to carbonate in the bottle. This practice is in stark contrast to the neighboring industrial producers that prefer to force carbon dioxide into a sealed steel tank to achieve bubbles. Bini takes a hands off approach in the cellar, preferring to ferment without temperature control, using only the lightest of filtrations, and adding only a dash of sulphites. Despite the light touch in the cellar, these wines are beautiful, pure, and flawless.
Lambrusco Dell’Emilia ($19.99): Bini’s flagship pet-nat lambrusco. This wine is medium bodied and loaded with notes of dark fruit, crunchy berries, spices, and a touch of licorice with a tannic structure to hold it all together. Chill it down and serve with pizza, marinara dishes, or Thanksgiving turkey.
Boccia ($22.99): this bone dry Lambrusco leaves no question that the region is capable of producing beautiful wines as joyful as they are complex. The nose had a wonderful mix of plum, warm earth, savory mushroom, and blackberry with a sturdy tannic structure. Serve with eggplant parm, sausages and hearty lasagna.
