VINO FRIZZANTE | by MEDICI ERMETE
| THE 'CONCERTO' STORY (1995-2007) |
| Authentic Lambrusco in the USA |
Most neighbors of Medici Ermete laughed at their 'crazy' ideas. But when the leading Italian wine guide, Gambero Rosso, gave a first ever 1 GLASS award to one of Medici Ermete's Lambruscos ('Concerto'), those very same neighbors stopped laughing. And when Gambero Rosso - after many discussions - decided to do away with, what I call, "grape discrimination" (Lambrusco can make great wine but may never get more than 1 glass), and awarded another one of their Lambruscos 2 GLASSES a few years later, some of Alberto's neighbors started to agree with what the Medici's apparently already had discovered: Yes, it is possible to produce high-quality Lambruscos! Nevertheless, Alberto and I began a nice conversation about Italian wines in general and at the end he invited me to look him up at next Vinitaly in Verona to taste the type of Lambrusco "we make for us and our friends". In April of 1995 I stopped by at Medici Ermete's booth at Vinitaly to taste authentic Lambrusco. At that time the whole production of 'Concerto' was about 10,000 bottles per year. "Just enough for us and our friends", he told me. I loved the wine and mentioned to him that I wanted to import some for my private clientele in LA. But was he willing to sell? No! Why? "They (your clients) won't like dry Lambrusco. It will go bad in your warehouse and we don't even have enough for ourselves", was his answer. I was quite frustrated and very disappointed to say the least. The following day I stopped by at Medici Ermete's booth one more time. This time to express my "feelings". --- At the end of the show I got 50 cases (600 bottles) of 'Concerto' for 'America'. We are happy to report that Alberto's neighbor's Lambruscos have started to appear in the US market helping to expand the market as a whole for this "world original". Looking forward, in April of 2007 we are going to introduce another high-quality Lambrusco line from Medici Ermete, called 'Quercioli'. Pizzaria Mozza in Los Angeles will be the very first restaurant in the USA to pour it by the glass starting April 15th, 2007. It looks like LA is about to start to discover dry Lambrusco too. Go order a glass! You will want a second one! --- JK Imports MORE CONCERTO FACTS: The very first 'Concerto' (vintage 1994) was imported into the USA in 1995. L'Osteria del Forno in San Francisco was the very first US restaurant ever to serve an authentic dry Lambrusco in the USA (1995). By the way, Susanna has never stopped pouring it ever since. Peter Birmingham and the late James Atwood of Rose Pistola made 'Concerto' "popular" in San Francisco. The first ever top US restaurant to add 'Concerto' to its wine list was FELIDIA (NY) in 1997 under sommeliers Dan Perlman and Richard Luftig. The former 'Cinque Terre' (NY) under Francesco Nabellino was another great 'Concerto' supporter. Babbo (NY) and Esca (NY) followed. Today you'll find 'Concerto' at many more places in SF, such as Sociale and Delfina, thanks to Jim Kennedy who promotes and distributes Medici Ermete in San Francisco and New York where Ominiwines direct imports Medici Ermete's Vino Frizzantes. Matt Kramer was the very first US wine writer to recognize the quality of 'Concerto' ("This is the real thing.") and wrote about it in the Los Angeles Times in 1996. Gambero Rosso 2007:
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. |
In the late 80s