Lambrusco Passion Project from a Thai Boxer
What is it with Italian athletes and wine? One of our favorite new producers in Piedmont is Olek Bondonia, former champion snowboarder. Today, we offer one of our favorite new producers from Lambrusco, and it turns out he was a world-class Muay Thai martial artist!
You have to be a little bit insane to excel at sports at that level, especially more obscure sports that are unlikely to land you lucrative sponsorships. When you apply an equally insane level of passion and commitment to wine – another area where you’re never going to make much money – it can result in great benefits to us consumers of the wines.
To make a great Lambrusco, you need to fight against the 20th-century march towards thorough industrialization of the vineyard and the winery. This is the land of factories churning out cheap, sweet sparklers to sell in down-market grocery stores. When Gian Paolo started making his wines back in 2005, he took the exact opposite approach at his Podere il Saliceto.
There is a focus on indigenous varieties: Lambrusco di Sorbara, Salamino, and Malbo Gentile. They’re not afraid to experiment, though, so they also have a small plot of Sauvignon to blend with Trebbiano for making Pet Nat.
Everything is natural. Fermentations occur in bottles, like in Champagne. Minimal sulfur is added, only at bottling. No, you will not find these wines in down-market grocery stores.
You will find them, however, in today’s blog. We have the fresh 2023s and they are delightfully delicious. These are drinking wines, yes – especially the Pet Nat – but we think of Lambrusco as primarily a food wine. Why not grab a bottle or two and dry some the next time you order a pizza? We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Podere il Saliceto Lambrusco di Sorbara Falistra 2023 - $26.99
Podere il Saliceto Bianco dell'Emilia Pet-Nat Bi Fri 2023 - $26.99
You have to be a little bit insane to excel at sports at that level, especially more obscure sports that are unlikely to land you lucrative sponsorships. When you apply an equally insane level of passion and commitment to wine – another area where you’re never going to make much money – it can result in great benefits to us consumers of the wines.
To make a great Lambrusco, you need to fight against the 20th-century march towards thorough industrialization of the vineyard and the winery. This is the land of factories churning out cheap, sweet sparklers to sell in down-market grocery stores. When Gian Paolo started making his wines back in 2005, he took the exact opposite approach at his Podere il Saliceto.
There is a focus on indigenous varieties: Lambrusco di Sorbara, Salamino, and Malbo Gentile. They’re not afraid to experiment, though, so they also have a small plot of Sauvignon to blend with Trebbiano for making Pet Nat.
Everything is natural. Fermentations occur in bottles, like in Champagne. Minimal sulfur is added, only at bottling. No, you will not find these wines in down-market grocery stores.
You will find them, however, in today’s blog. We have the fresh 2023s and they are delightfully delicious. These are drinking wines, yes – especially the Pet Nat – but we think of Lambrusco as primarily a food wine. Why not grab a bottle or two and dry some the next time you order a pizza? We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Podere il Saliceto Lambrusco di Sorbara Falistra 2023 - $26.99
Podere il Saliceto Bianco dell'Emilia Pet-Nat Bi Fri 2023 - $26.99
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