KERIN O'KEEFE 94 POINTS - "The 2024 Radice, a benchmark wine in the denomination along with its sibling Lecclisse, opens with delicately enticing aromas of small red berry, violet, lavender, citrus and wild herb. Showing great racy tension, the palate is bone-dry and savory, featuring pomegranate, cranberry, blood orange and saline notes. Made with the ancestral method of bottling the wine while still on its lees, as you get toward the bottom of the bottle, you’ll also find yeasty flavors recalling brioche. Bright acidity and a fine fizz provide energy and finesse. Abv: 11% Kerin O’Keefe August 2025 ©kerinokeefe.com"
We can't imagine life with only still wines! Sparkling and frizzante (fizzy) wines are great when you want something particularly invigorating, celebratory, or versatile as a food partner. In the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, home of some of the richest (and finest) of Italian cooking, the tradition is for sparkling reds known as Lambrusco. They come in a variety of styles, involving several possible grape varieties and fermentation techniques. In contrast to the dark and sweet Lambrusco that was popular for a time in the US, Paltrinieri's "Radice" uses the lighter-colored, high-toned Sorbara grape, and is fermented to dryness.
Although dry Sorbara Lambrusco is a much more popular style these days, it was 4th generation proprietor Alberto Paltrinieri who introduced the first 100% Sorbara Lambrusco after taking over the family winery in 1989. The radiantly pink "Radice" is special because the 2nd fermentation (to make the bubbles) occurs in the bottle. It's a trickier and costlier technique than letting it happen in a vat, but it's worth the effort as any Champagne lover will tell you! The lees (wine sediment) aren't removed as in the "Champagne Method," so it's cloudy when gently shaken.
Try it with a variety of light to moderately rich dishes, especially Lasagne alla Bolognese, whose origins are in Emilia-Romagna!
ORGANICALLY FARMED
We can't imagine life with only still wines! Sparkling and frizzante (fizzy) wines are great when you want something particularly invigorating, celebratory, or versatile as a food partner. In the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, home of some of the richest (and finest) of Italian cooking, the tradition is for sparkling reds known as Lambrusco. They come in a variety of styles, involving several possible grape varieties and fermentation techniques. In contrast to the dark and sweet Lambrusco that was popular for a time in the US, Paltrinieri's "Radice" uses the lighter-colored, high-toned Sorbara grape, and is fermented to dryness.
Although dry Sorbara Lambrusco is a much more popular style these days, it was 4th generation proprietor Alberto Paltrinieri who introduced the first 100% Sorbara Lambrusco after taking over the family winery in 1989. The radiantly pink "Radice" is special because the 2nd fermentation (to make the bubbles) occurs in the bottle. It's a trickier and costlier technique than letting it happen in a vat, but it's worth the effort as any Champagne lover will tell you! The lees (wine sediment) aren't removed as in the "Champagne Method," so it's cloudy when gently shaken.
Try it with a variety of light to moderately rich dishes, especially Lasagne alla Bolognese, whose origins are in Emilia-Romagna!
ORGANICALLY FARMED
