This is produced using the ancestral Emilia Romagna technique, rifermentato in bottiglia, Italian history’s pét nat. Prior to the 1960s, most sparkling wines in this zone of Italy were made this way, only to be superseded by the Charmat method¬ – which was found to retain the purity of the grape characters and, for better or worse, keep the sugar in the wine – to give us the Lambrusco style that most of us are now better acquainted with.

Medici Ermete’s Sorbara vines are 35 years old, cordon trained and spur-pruned to keep yields low. Already one of the lighter Lambrusco varieties, just a little skin contact brings this back into the rosé zone. By harking back to tradition, Medici Ermete have let the sugars ferment out, leaving us with just 0.5 g/L residual, providing more nuance and depth to the pomegranate/sour cherry notes of the Sorbara variety and, as the bubbles tend to be finer, textural expression that’s also on point.

2022

“A wine of history and pure joy, this watermelon Jolly Rancher-colored sparkling wine bursts out of the glass with aromas of wild strawberry, green herbs and candied rose petals. The bracing palate pops with electric acidity, tart lime, watermelon and saline. A bottle for all occasions.” 94 points, Jeff Porter, #12 in the Top 100 of 2024, Wine Enthusiast