Beyond Lambrusco
Lambrusco may be the best known of Emilia Romagna’s effervescent offerings, but there is a multitude of other varieties and areas that also produce delightful frizzante and spumante wines. Bubbles are the norm for many of the traditional wines in Colli Piacentini, the DOP tucked in the far northwestern corner of Emilia Romagna. The heady Malvasia di Candia Aromatica often plays a leading role in white frizzante wines and some of its most successful producers, including Massimiliano Croci, Montesissa Emilio and Podere Pradarolo, continue the area’s ancient tradition of macerating white varieties on skins before a spontaneous second fermentation in the bottle. These wines have charm, an attractive rusticity and often fairly substantial tannins.
Colli Piacentini is also home to reds, both still and sparkling, made under the Gutturnio DOP. A blend of Barbera and Bonarda (also known as Croatina), the frizzantes are slightly more full-bodied than their Lambruscan cousins, but with similarly delightful freshness, subtle grip and sousbois overtones.
In the hills south and west of the city of Bologna, there is a special DOP for Pignoletto, a white grape variety that also goes by the name of Grechetto di Todi and plays an important role in Umbria’s Orvieto. DOCG Colli Bolognesi Classico Pignoletto is typically crisp, offering gooseberry-like pungency and nutty notes. Frizzante and spumante versions can be produced in both the Pignoletto DOP and as Pignoletto dell’Emilia IGP or Pignoletto di Modena DOP.
Many producers within the various Lambrusco sub-regions grow a small amount of Pignoletto or Spergola (another local variety) in order to make a white sparkling wine. Francesco Bellei’s Pignoletto ancestrale is an excellent col fondo style, while Cavaliera produces a superb metodo classico version, made with no added sulphites. Both wines are under the Pignoletto di Modena designation.