Essentia 2018 Bugno Martino Lambrusco Mantovano IGP
This Lambrusco is made in the ancestral method with wild yeast. Bugno Martino says this wine is “deeply linked to traditions and origins”.
This is a method that predates the Method Champenoise. This ancient method tops the initial fermentation before it is complete, typically by chilling the wine. It is then put into bottle where it completes its fermentation trapping the CO2 in the bottle for those bubbles.
Sheila had prepped me for umami with this wine and she was so right. The first thing that hit my nose was bread dough, followed by red cherry and cherry preserves. Fresh green herbs were followed by smoke and soy. In my mouth, the umami hit first with soy and smoke.
Behind that came the fruit, which was darker on my palate than on the nose and the herbs here were more savory and dried.
What to pair? I contacted Sheila at Vero and she had put this question to Giuseppe.
Without hesitation, he responded Riso alla Pilota. This is a simple dish of rice and sausage, that is traditional for Mantova, where there are more pigs than people. We paired this traditional dish with the traditionally inspired Essentia.
Giuseppe shared his recipe: Rice is carefully cooked to al dente and mixed with sausage cooked in butter and garlic, then it is tossed with grated parmesan. This dish is simple, hearty, delicious, and pairs perfectly with the wines. It was especially delicious with the umami notes in the Essentia.
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