Cantina Sociale di Puianello,

Quattro Castella, Emilia-Romagna

We met these guys through a friend of a friend (ciao e grazie Arrigo!) and were immediately impressed by their almost surreal professionalism. Their stand at VinItaly was like a Formula One pit stop: Marketing Director Vittorio Maltezze welcomed us in perfect English, we sat and within seconds a crack staff went to work and for nearly an hour glasses appeared and were replaced like magic, top flight Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and cured pork products materialized seemingly out of thin air (with their salt, spice and sweetness levels matched to each new wine), technical and marketing brochures in English landed next to each new glass, mineral water filled our glasses, spit buckets were dumped and replaced without us even noticing let alone asking. And the wines? As the company motto says, “É buono, è un Puianello” (it’s good, it’s a Puianello)! Now for the story:

In 1938 five grape growers in the hills of the tiny hamlet of Puianello near Reggio founded a co-op so they could make wine instead of selling grapes and thereby see a little more of the profit on the fruit of their labor (and they located the cantina at an address on Via Carlo Marx, quite fitting for a Cantina Sociale, don’t you think?). Over the years more growers joined bringing more land so that today there are 330 members producing a large range of wines in many styles with a focus on the traditional frizzante and spumante styles of the zona, red, white and rosato, ranging from bone dry through “amabile” (amiable or friendly) to dessert wines. We tasted over twenty of them and brought in four that fill some holes in our ever expanding omniverse of fine fizz.

Puianello Lambrusco Grasparosso Secco

Contrada Monticelli, Emilia-Romagna  $13.99

This is serious, BONE DRY, red (well almost black) wine that you can serve with almost anything and has the added food matching advantage of strong and persistent effervescence and the fact that you serve it cold. The perfect solution for hot days, hot foods or hot dates...it’s versatile.

Puianello Lambrusco dell’Emilia Rosso Amabile, Emilia-Romagna  $12.99

Very dark and packed with full throttle spicy black fruit, finished just off-dry (but more than balanced by the bubbles and natural acidity of the Lambrusco variety). At this price you can pound it with classic pasta Bolognese, BBQ (Texas, North Carolinian, South Korean, bring it on), pizza or brunch and still pay your bills.

Puianello Lambrusco Grasparossa Amabile Luceria, Emilia-Romagna  $15.99

This is serious, OFF DRY, red (well almost black) wine that you can serve with almost anything and has the added food matching advantage of medium but persistent effervescence and the fact that you serve it cold. The perfect solution for hot days, hot foods or hot dates...it’s versatile.

The LA Times' Jean T. Barrett on the joys of Lambrusco:

"AND WHAT of the reds? An antipasto array that includes smoked and cured meats calls out for the classic wine pairing with charcuterie, Emilia-Romagna's frothy Lambrusco. What? you ask, incredulously. Are you referring to that fizzy sweet drink that many of us cut our wine teeth on? Hardly. True, most Lambrusco exported to the U.S. is pop wine, but the best bottlings from quality-oriented producers in the DOC zones around Modena and Reggio display a lush fruitiness and fizz as well as firm acidity and tannins that contrast deliciously with the salty, rich flavors of dry salami, prosciutto and other charcuterie. For an even drier and bolder version, sample Puianello's Contrada Borgoleto Lambrusco Reggiano. It is deep garnet in color, intensely jammy and tarry in the bouquet, and tastes like dark cherry soda while being absolutely bone dry. Please pass the salami . . . and the olives . . . and the crostini. . . "

Piuanello Colli di Scandiano e di Canossa

Marzemino Nobilomo Dolce, Emilia-Romagna  $11.99

This is a rich, smuckery and exotically spicy fruit bomb of a Marzemino finished at just 9% alcohol and with 4% residual sugar (a tad sweet but not really a dessert wine, it’s more of a picnic tipple or maybe just a nice glass to relax with after work). Remember, if you tell us that the case you are buying the day after you tried a bottle is for your grandmother or your Russian nanny who misses similar wines from Georgia (the one in the former USSR!), we will keep it on the down low that you are secretly in love with it.