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From the February 2020 issue of Food & Wine magazine:

LINI 910 Labrusca Rosso NV

Forget everything you know about Lambrusco. This dry sparkling red — almost purple — wine is made by a fourth generation producer in the tiny Italian town of Canolo. Full of dark berry fruit, it’s one of my favorite winter dinner-party pours.

Ray Isle (above with Alicia)
Executive Wine Editor
Food & Wine

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It seemed like Lini was EVERYWHERE this holiday season!

Forbes called Lini Lambrusco one of “Four Great Bottles Of Bubbly To Pop On New Year’s Eve”.

Town and Country named Lini Lambrusco one of the best wines to pair with meat dishes (“From oysters and caviar to fried chicken, here’s what to eat with your next bottle of bubbly”).

Cooking Light included Lini Lambrusco in its sparkling wine buying guide.

And one of our favorite wine bloggers and wine educators, Tracy Ellen Kamens, Ed.D., DWS, CWE, posted tasting notes for two of her favorite wines by Lini.

Here’s what she had to say about the wines (below).

We hope you had a great holiday season! Looking forward to a sparkling 2020! Happy new year!

Lini 910 NV Lambrusco Rosé

Typical of the region, this wine is produced by the Charmat Method, the same method used in the production of Prosecco. This process retains the fresh fruit flavors of the grapes, which are present on the nose and palate of this lovely wine. Floral, fresh herbs and ripe cherries greet the nose and persist on the palate, with medium+ body, freshness and long length.

Lini 910 2006 Lambrusco Metodo Classico Rosso Millesimato

As a Metodo Classico wine, this Lambrusco was crafted using the Traditional Method, the same production technique used in Champagne, whereby the wine spends a significant amount of time in contact with the spent yeast (aka lees). Given its more complex production, this wine offered up beautiful notes of yeast, cherries and berries. The rich blackberry flavors were balanced with lively acidity and very long length.

Image via the It’s A Winederful Life blog.

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“This very dry, earthy, ruby-red version,” writes leading wine critic Elin McCoy for Bloomberg this month, “is like liquid cranberries, perfect for drinking while you wrap presents.”

It’s one of her “fun fizz” recommendations for her widely followed “50 Best Wines under $50” column this year.

Click here for all of her picks.

Happy holidays, everyone!

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“I’m just going to come out and say it,” writes Epicurious associate editor Joe Sevier this month. “Thanks to its deep, juicy flavor and lightly sparkling body, Lambrusco is the only wine you need to serve at Thanksgiving 2019.”

We couldn’t agree more!

He recommended two of Lini’s wines for this year’s Thanksgiving feast. See what he had to say in his tasting notes below.

And check out his article on “why Lambrusco is the only wine you need for Thanksgiving” here.

It’s one of the best Thanksgiving wine pieces this year, funny and intelligent, with great insights into why Lambrusco makes for the ideal Thanksgiving pairing. Thank you, Joe! We loved this article (and not just because we’re mentioned in it)!

Here are his tasting notes:

    Lini 910 ‘Labrusca’ Lambrusco Rosso: This bright, tart wine comes from Lini 910, an Italian producer that’s become pretty synonymous with modern Lambrusco in America. This offering is a little intense to drink on its own, but the sour, pungent, blueberry notes make it a great addition to a spread of turkey, stuffing, gravy, and green bean casserole. Save it for dinnertime.
    Lini 910 In Correggio Lambrusco Scuro: This just off-dry bottling has those plummy, juicy flavors that you might favor in a Pinot Noir, and finishes clean and bright. It’s grapey and fizzy and crowd-pleasing.

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On Monday, October 7, Alicia Lini (above) will be speaking and leading a guided tasting at the Women in Wine Leadership Symposium in New York.

From the WWLS website:

    Started in 2012, the Women in Wine Leadership Symposium (WWLS) has a mission to empower and educate women in the wine industry through a series of panel discussions and wine tastings. The WWLS, hosted by Winebow, was the first event of its kind with winemakers from around the world, sommeliers, retailers, educators, and journalists coming together to create a collective dialogue on experiences, insights, and strategies for success.

The invitation-only event is attended by the best-of-the-best among today’s wine media members and wine producers.

We couldn’t be more thrilled that Alicia was asked to present Lini wines and talk about her experiences as a wine professional and the fourth generation of the Lini winery.

See the complete list of featured speakers here.

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Alicia Lini (above), writes Wine Spectator editor Alison Napjus in the October 2019 issue of the magazine, “has seen that uphill battle [to teach people about Lambrusco] firsthand.”

“‘I’d come to the U.S., to try to sell, but really it was more to teach consumers what quality Lambrusco could be,’ says Lini of her early experiences in the American market, in 2004. ‘While today, there is a request for Lambrusco. I think Americans [are beginning to] understand, and want to dive into it, to experience it.'”

Alicia and Lini Lambrusco are both featured in Napjus’ wide-ranging piece on the state of Italian sparkling wine in the U.S. and Italy today.

It’s a wonderful and highly informative read, essential for anyone who follows Italian wine.

Check it out here (subscribers only).

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We couldn’t be more thrilled to share the news: We just learned that Daniele Cernilli, aka Doctor Wine, has named the 2007 Lini Classic Method Lambrusco the “best single grape wine (Lambrusco)” in the 2020 Guida Essenziale ai Vini d’Italia 2020 (Essential Guide to Italian Wine, 2020 edition).

The score: 95/100!

Veteran wine writer and publisher Daniele Cernilli is widely considered one of Italy’s leading wine critics. His Guida Essenziale has become a benchmark for wine criticism in Italy today. We’ll publish his editors’ tasting notes as soon as they become available.

Thank you, Doctor Wine!

We’ll be joining you September 29 in Milan for the presentation of the new guide and the “best in category” winners!

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On the occasion of National Wine and Cheese Day, here’s what radio personality and lifestyle guru JD “the Diva” Janine Davis (above) of WBAV (Charlotte) had to say about Lini Lambrusco:

“I usually like dark, red wines that are full-bodied with a bit of a bite, but lately because of all the hot weather, I’ve been sipping on Lambruscos. Lambrusco is sparkling red wine that could be dry, semi dry or sweet. You can get them just about anywhere… One of my favorite Lambrusco wines is Lini 910 Labrusca Lambrusco Rosso. I’ve had it with everything from pizza to steak.”

Click here for the complete review.

Thank you, JD!

Image via the Janine Davis Facebook fan page.