Be pre-warned, there’s what will appear to be a slant rant contained somewhere in this post. Apologies in advance! Long and short of it was another great week for me in terms of learning more and more about the world of wine, and I hope any of you guys who got involved can say the same!
So, onto the Lambruscos. I tried the Fiorini Lambrusco Grasparossa from Ocado (£13.99) and the Lambrusco Dell’Emilio Rosato from Sainsbury’s.
First things first, imaging that these two are comparable drinks is way off mark. They aren’t playing the same sport, let alone playing in the same ball park!
The Fiorini is dry (secco), 11% in alcohol, and made using generations old techniques to produce the kind of Lambrusco that can definitely take a proud part of the world of wine. Beautiful dark ruby red colour, a smell that reminded me of dandelion and burdoch. There were red cherries, strawberries, and wrapped up with a really pronounced acidity. This last part is why it’s absolutely perfect with fat-rich foods, like mortadella, like parmesan, etc. There’s a real earthy finish to it as well. It’s not the best Lambrusco I’ve tasted, but it’s the real deal! 13/20.
The Sainsbury’s was the sweet, low alcohol, low priced drink that we’ve become to think of as Lambrusco. I hope they won’t mind me saying it’s not a wine. It’s a drink. It’s like drinking (a very drinkable) sparkling strawberry juice. You can taste the flavour enhancers in there. This is not to be disparaging. It’s without a doubt one of the better “British Lambruscos” I’ve tasted. It was well balanced. I’m not ashamed to admit that I liked it for what it was. But it’s not wine. So I can’t really rate it.
So here comes the rant. What do you do if you’re Sainsbury’s? Do you go for broke and do a TTD Lambrusco, and stick it on the shelves for £10-£15? Do you think the general public would buy it? Neither do I! They have no choice but to stock the crowd pleaser at the minute.
As wine-o’s, we have the chance to push the things we think should be pushed into the limelight. Is real deal Lambrusco going to flood back onto the shelves of supermarkets in the near future? No. But, with a few brave importers, a few interested wine retailers, and plenty of open minded wine-o’s (like us dear readers), we’ve got a chance of at least making sure we can get a good supply when the time is right.
Cheers
Other Posts in NWTW Week 46:
#NWTW Week 46: Lambrusco From Emilia Romagna
#NWTW Week 46: Emilia Romagna, Trust Me You’ve Heard Of It
#NWTW Week 46: All We Are Saying, Is Give Lambrusco A Chance
