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Lambrusco does not enjoy the best of reputations, either at home or abroad.

This sad but true state of affairs is mostly due to power plays and marketing: Production is dominated by cooperative wineries that pay their suppliers by the ton. Thus most farmers produce as much as they can because volume, not quantity, makes for higher earnings.

"When we talk about the Medici family, we run the risk of becoming boring. We are always saying how their good fortune is essentially due to the fact that long ago they understood that to make good wine you need good grapes, and - especially as far as Lambrusco is concerned - adequate technology in the cellar. But there isn't much we can add - this actually is their secret - except perhaps that their production method and concept of Lambrusco, with its generous fruit, extremely clean aromas and well-rounded flavor, should be an example for everyone else."

--- Gambero Rosso, 2007

"Some of you may have heard me preach of lambrusco, the foaming, almost purple sparkling wine from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. No, not the semi-sweet fizzy stuff that was so popular in the 1970s, but the real, dry, earthy lambrusco, from producers like Medici Ermete...Served icy cold, it’s wonderful with just about any simple dish, be it fried chicken or pizza or burgers."

--- Eric Asimov, New York Times, July 2, 2008

Vino Frizzante by Medici Ermete:

• Lambrusco Frizzante
• Concerto
• Concertino (375 ml)

• Solo
• Bocciolo

• Querciolo Secco
• Querciolo Dolce
• Malvasia Frizzante
• Daphne
• Nebbie

"This is to certify that Lambrusco Reggiano Concerto 2007, Medici [Ermete], has been awarded a Silver by the judges at the International Wine Challenge 2008."

THE 15 BEST ITALIAN SPARKLING WINES AND ROSES UNDER $100

"You won't find a better Lambrusco than the ones made here, wines of uncommon depth and creaminess whereas other Lambruscos are often thin, tart, and pleasant.

The Medici family has been involved with Lambrusco for more than 100 years and today looks after 60 hectares of vineyards subdivided among three main properties (Tenuta Rampata, Tenuta Quercioli, and Villa Giada), doing considerable work on its grape varietes. The lambrusco family of grapes is large.

The "Concerto" by Medici Ermete is made with the superior lambrusco salamino variety, which tends to give Lambruscos more immediate appeal and is easier to understand for wine lovers who do not find fizzy red wines to their liking. This wine is crimson-purple in color, with loads of wild straweberry, raspberry, and ripe cherry aromas and a touch of red roses;; it enters rich and round, with lots of lively acidity, delineating flavors similiar to the aromas. The very long and unapologetically dry finish leaves the mouth fresh and salivating, and ready for another glass immediately.

The "Solo" bottling (see the "10 Best Sparkling and Rose Wines at $25 or Less" list in section 2) is also very fine, but altogether different from the wine described here, due to the presence of ghe ancelotta grape variety (as well as the lambrusco salamino, quite different from the Marani subvariety), which makes the latter wine much smoother and almost sweet." (Guide to the best Wines of Italy by Ian D'Agata, 2008)