Zanasi Lambrusco Di Sorbara 2024

Grape: Lambrusco Di Sorbara 

Region: Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Farming: Organic

Zanasi is a small estate, about 55 acres of vineyards, just south of Modena. Founded in 1978 by Bruno Zanasi, the estate in led today by his grandsons Marco and Matteo. Some of the vines are cultivated organically (and are so certified), others by Integrated Pest Management, yields are low, in order to ensure good concentration of aroma and flavor. Winemaking is relatively straightforward as they work the wine as little as possible, in order to preserve the color and the fruit perfume that the grapes give them. This example is made entirely of Lambrusco di Sorbara, grown just north of Modena; the vines were planted in 2005. The altitude is less than 100 feet above sea level; the soil is a mixture of sand and clay. The grapes are normally picked in mid-September, pressed immediately, then fermented all the way from juice to sparkling wine in a single fermentation, using native yeasts; this takes about a month, at low temperature. (Special reinforced tanks are used, to withstand the pressure of the CO2.) After several months on the lees, the wine is filtered (but not fined) and bottled, with a small amount of residual sulfites. Less than 2,000 cases are made annually.