Cella Lambrusco 750ml

Winery: Cella

Varietal: Lambrusco

The Lambrusco varietal grape has been grown in and around its native region of Emilia, Italy for several thousand years, with archaeological evidence suggesting it was even cultivated by the ancient Etruscans, long before it was a favorite of the Romans. There are actually over sixty different types of Lambrusco grape, however, the most commonly grown varietal is Lambrusco Salamino – the varietal used for the sparkling and slightly sweet strawberry tinted wine which is popular around the world. Although very much an Italian varietal, there are wineries elsewhere in the world which work with this grape, most notably in Australia where it is also used to make a sparkling wine. It can also be used to make a wonderful dry wine, in which the strawberry flavor comes through a little more powerfully, followed by a pleasantly bitter finish.

Region: Tuscany

All over the stunning region of Tuscany in central Italy, you'll see rolling hills covered in green, healthy grapevines. This region is currently Italy's third largest producer of wines, but interestingly wineries here are generally happy with lower yields holding higher quality grapes, believing that they have a responsibility to uphold the excellent reputation of Tuscany, rather than let it slip into 'quantity over quality' wine-making as it did in the mid twentieth century. The region has a difficult soil type to work with, but the excellent climate and generations of expertise more than make up for this problem. Most commonly, Tuscan vintners grow Sangiovese and Vernaccia varietal grapes, although more and more varietals are being planted nowadays in order to produce other high quality wine styles.

Country: Italy

It isn't difficult to understand why Italy is famed not just for the quality of its wines, but also for the vast variety and range of characteristics found in the wines there. The terrain of the country varies wildly, from the lush rolling green hills and valley of Tuscany, to the sun drenched rocky coasts of Sicily, the mountainous and alpine regions of the north, and the marshy lowlands of the east. Italy really does have a little bit of everything. Combine this huge range of landscapes with an almost perfect climate for grape cultivation, and you have a country seemingly designed for viticultural excellence. The results speak for themselves, and it is clear to see that wine has become an inseparable part of Italian culture as a result of its abundance and brilliance. Each village, city and region has a local wine perfectly matched with the cuisine of the area, and not an evening passes without the vast majority of Italian families raising a glass of locally sourced wine with pride and pleasure.