Tag Archives: Lambrusco

Wine of the week: L’Onesta Lambrusco di Sorbara NV

L’Onesta Lambrusco di Sorbara/$12-$15

The L’Onesta Lambursco di Sorbara is a stunning dry Lambrusco that reminds us how amazing wine can be

How wonderful and amazing is wine? And how much do people miss when they dismiss wine because it’s alcohol or it’s old-fashioned or because wine drinkers can be snotty or because there’s too much emphasis on price?

The answer to all these questions is in a bottle of the L’Onesta Lambrusco Sorbara NV ($13, purchased, 11%). It’s a revelation, and I say this as someone who has been writing about wine for more than 20 years (and drinking it for much longer). It’s the exact opposite of what most of us assume Lambrusco to be – not a sweet and syrupy red wine, but a balanced and delicious and bubbly wine.

Yes, a stunning dry Lambrusco. There’s just enough sweetness so that you’ll notice it if you’re paying attention, but that’s just the beginning of what’s going on. There’s also sour cherry and raspberry fruit, as well as some of the best charmat fizz I’ve ever tasted. This is the kind of wine to open during a Texas summer – or for Mom on Sunday – and drink and talk and drink some more, and then, as you drink and talk, you realize there’s something to this wine business after all.

Highly recommended, and a shoo-in for the 2022 Hall of Fame in January. And if this wine isn’t on the short list for the 2022 Cheap Wine of the Year, there’s no reason to do the Cheap Wine of the Year in 2022.

A note about the wine’s name: The L’Onesta Lambrusco di Sorbara is made by a producer called Famiglia Carofoli, according to the importer. But it’s also listed, for some reason, under a producer called Cantina di Sorbara, in case that shows up in a Google search. You should be able to find it by searching for L’Onesta Lambrusco di Sorbara.

Imported by T. Edward Wines

Wine review: Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Vecchia Modena Premium 2012

Wine review: Cleto Chiarli LambruscoThe Wine Curmudgeon does not like red sparkling wine. This dates to an unpleasant experience with sparkling shiraz at a trendy Fort Worth restaurant and a waiter who knew a lot less about wine than he thought. The less said about it, the better.

Still, the only rule of wine is to drink as many kinds as possible, whether one likes it or not. So when the Italian Wine Guy said the Cleto Chiarli ($14, sample, 11%), a red bubbly from Italy, was one of his favorites, who was I to argue? And which demonstrates that you should always listen to people who know more than you do.

Because I enjoyed it, as quirky as it was. Quirky because it had very dark fruit, very dry, and even slightly tannic, hardly what Americans expect from the sweet and soft fruit Lambruscos that most of us know. It’s not for all tastes, and especially for someone expecting a sweet wine or a more conventional sparkler.

But if you want to try it, you’ll find a very well made wine with better quality bubbles than I expected and that is unlike almost anything else you’ve ever had. Serving it chilled wouldn’t hurt, and the tannins make it a better food wine than expected. And you might even like it, which is the best part.

One caveat: The bottle has an old-fashioned wire closure — the best comparison is a piece of clothes hanger holding the cork down — and not a sparkling wine cage. I used a screwdriver to pry it off, though I doubt that’s the traditional method.