It’s no secret that Lambrusco is hot right now. And, for good reason. There is perhaps no wine more versatile than a good bottle of fizzy red from Emilia Romagna. But, as much as we love this style, few Lambrusco producers also venture into the world of still table reds. And there is much to love about one of our all-time favorite producer’s brand new red–Poderi Saliceto’s Malbo Rosso. Malbo is their rendition of a classic Emilian red, made with the nearly extinct Malbo Gentile variety. Known for its particularly dark skin and chewy tannins, it is permitted in small quantities to be blended into certain Lambrusco bottlings. Although other single-variety bottlings do exist, we’ve never come across them. The result is a starkly deep and chewy red that is simultaneously refreshing and joyful.
HOW TO:
'Malbo' is skin-macerated for 4-6 days so as to extract just enough of this grape's tannic character. Fermentation is spontaneous, and aging is done in ancient cement vats. Sulphur is added only at bottling, and as always with Saliceto, fining and/or filtration are off the table. The result is a pure, fresh red made for charcuterie–or burgers!
