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Above: Lini Lambrusco at Pizzeria Mercato in Carrboro, North Carolina.

Yesterday, Alicia wrapped her first Vini d’Italia tour with Winebow/Leonardo LoCascio Selections, Lini’s new U.S. importer.

“It’s just been amazing,” she said over WhatsApp. “The reception Lini has been getting has been simply fantastic. It’s been great to meet so many talented wine professionals in each of the three cities we visited. Wonderful!”

Above: Lini at five fifty-five in Portland, Maine.

“It’s our first tour with Winebow,” she told the Lini USA blog, “and so of course it’s a very emotional moment for me and my family: It’s always been our dream to work with a national importer like them and so it’s really a dream come true.”

“But the most wonderful thing,” she added, “was the warm welcome that we got along the way. In every city, people were so nice and excited to learn more about Lambrusco. I couldn’t be more grateful for the way we were received at every stop.”

A thousand thanks to the staff at Wineblow/LLS for organizing such a great series of events.

And heartfelt thanks to everyone who tasted with Alicia along the way.

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On Wednesday of this week — the 1st of May aka “May Day” or “International Workers’ Day” — the popular Houston wine bar 13 Celsius posted the following on their social media:

    May 1st aka May Day (aka International Worker’s Day) is celebrated as a public holiday in many countries around the world. In Italy, Emilia Romagna is the home to many working-class people whose beverage of choice is the local Lambrusco. So in their honor and to the others around the world, we are offering Lini Lambrusco for $5/glass all night long.

Thank you, 13 Celsius, for this wonderful post! You really “get” Lambrusco.

One of the things that makes Italian wine so great is the culture behind every bottle of wine. The history and culture of a given wine don’t make it taste better necessarily. But they can enhance the drinking experience in truly profound ways.

We were so happy to read this post by the sweet folks at “13” (as it is known among Houston wine professionals). Lambrusco is often called the “wine of freedom” or the “wine of the people.” And there’s a good reason for that: Lambrusco has always been associated with working families. In Emilia, where Lambrusco is produced, Lambrusco is often the only wine that people drink and serve in their homes. It’s delicious, it’s affordable, it’s food-friendly and easy to pair… it’s a wine for everyone.

And it’s so great to see our friends at 13 Celsius celebrate Lambrusco this way. They really “get it.”

Chapeau bas, 13! We love you guys!

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It’s not every week that you discover that your wine is being poured in the legendary Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the “historic heart” of Harvard University!

This week and next, Grafton Street Pub — a favorite destination for students and professors — is serving Lini Lambrusco as part of their Winter Dine Out menu (check it out on the Harvard Square website!).

The pairing? Tuna tartare with avocado yogurt, black radish, sesame, togarashi wonton chips.

Sound delicious!

The menu, with wine pairings, is available through March 15.

Go Crimson!

Grafton Street Pub & Grill
1230 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge MA 02138
(617) 497-0400
Google map

Image via the Grafton Street Facebook.

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Sending a big shout-out and warm hug today to the amazing Lynette Hawkins and her wonderful Italian restaurant in Houston, Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino, where Lini Labrusca Rosso has just made its debut!

Lynette is one of the pioneers of authentic Italian cuisine in Houston — and in Texas for that matter.

When our American blogger Jeremy first moved to Texas 10 years ago, it was challenging to find genuine Italian cuisine between Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. And Lynette’s restaurant was one of the first places to be recognized by food lovers and food writers as a new benchmark for Italian food in the state.

Today that’s all changed and there are myriad Italian restaurants across the region. But her Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino remains a stand-out and one of Texans’ favorite places to enjoy Italian soul food (it’s the best way to describe her cooking, btw).

We couldn’t be more proud to be part of the program!

Thank you, Lynette! Grazie di cuore!

Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino
3215 Westheimer Rd.
Houston TX 77098
(713) 522-1934
Google map

Image via the Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino Facebook.

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Earlier this year, Lini began working with a new California importer who has really expanded the winery’s presence there.

We couldn’t have been more pleased to learn that Lini Lambrusco is now served at Perbacco in San Francisco, where executive chef and co-owner Staffan Terje is putting out some of the best Italian food in the U.S. today.

Just look at the hand-rolled pasta in the image above (via the restaurant’s website). Can you think of a better place to drink Lini?

We can’t wait to get out there in the early spring and ORDER EVERYTHING ON THE MENU!

Thank you chef Staffan and thank you wine director Umberto Gibin!

The work you guys are doing is truly spectacular and we couldn’t be more proud to be part of your program.

Perbacco
230 California St.
San Francisco CA 94111
(415) 955-0663
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We just had to share the above photo, snapped recently at the popular Roman restaurant Baccano, not far from the Trevi Fountain.

The “Mediterranean bistro” hot spot is currently featuring Lini wines — nearly our entire line of wines!

It’s an example of how much Italians — even outside of Emilia — seem to enjoy our Lambrusco.

We couldn’t be more thrilled to be featured in such a chic dining destination.

Baccano (pronounced bahk-KAHN-oh) means “hullabaloo” in Italian. Could there be a better place for our wines?

When in Rome… drink Lini Lambrusco!

Baccano
Via delle Muratte 23
00187 Rome
+39 06 6994 1166
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It’s always great to see top restaurants working with our wines. But it’s even more thrilling to see when restaurateurs and sommeliers pair our wines in new and unusual ways.

A few weeks ago, we posted about our wines being paired with oysters at the Mermaid Oyster Bar in Manhattan. (Thank you again, Mermaid Oyster Bar!)

So you can imagine how happy we were to discover that our wine appears on the list at Rock Creek, one of Seattle’s most popular seafood restaurants. (And when it comes to seafood, there are few place in the U.S. that can compete with Seattle and its restaurant scene; so being part of their program means all the more!)

That’s the Oyster Po’ Boy at Rock Creek. And as biased as we may be, we just have to say it: Doesn’t that dish just scream for our Lambrusco Rosé?

We couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of the excellent wine program at this benchmark among Seattle seafood destinations.

Thank you, Rock Creek! We’ll look forward to seeing you in 2019 when we come out that way!

Rock Creek
4300 Fremont Ave. N.
Seattle WA 98103
(206) 557-7532
Google map

Image via the Rock Creek Facebook.

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One of the things that we love about Lambrusco is its wonderful versatility.

Its agility at the table makes it a great match for brunch, like the classic-contemporary brunch menu at one of Seattle’s favorite restaurants, Brimmer & Heeltap.

Check out the menu here (we can’t wait to try “Greens, eggs, and ham”!).

We couldn’t be more proud to be part of their excellent wine program.

Thank you, Brimmer & Heeltap, for your support! We’ll look forward to seeing you in early 2019 when Alicia Lini comes back to the U.S.!

Brimmer & Heeltap
425 NW Market St.
Seattle WA 98107
(206) 420-2534
Google map

Image via the Brimmer & Heeltap Facebook.

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All sparkling wine is made by fermenting it twice, the second time in a pressurized environment.

Most Lambrusco is made using the Charmat or Martinotti method. A still wine is made. It’s then transferred to a pressurized tank where a second fermentation is provoked. The resulting CO2, a byproduct of fermentation, is captured and it’s what gives the wine its bubbles.

The classic method (also called the Champagne method in Champagne) calls for the second fermentation to be carried out in a sealed bottle. It has to be done by hand and it’s much more time-consuming and costly. And the resulting wines are among the most compelling in the world.

Here are tasting notes for our current-release Metodo Classico Lambrusco by one of Italy’s leading authorities on sparkling wine and Champagne, Alberto Lupetti.

Taste our metodo classico Lambrusco tomorrow, Saturday, July 28, at Jaynes Gastropub in San Diego where our blog master Jeremy Parzen aka Do Bianchi will be leading a walk-around tasting.

Click here for details.

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Above: The already legendary squid-ink “chitarra” pasta at Nobie’s, one of Houston’s hippest new restaurants (image via the Nobie’s Facebook).

We couldn’t have been more thrilled to find out that Lini Lambrusco Rosé is now served at Nobie’s, one of the latest entries in Houston’s growing food and wine scene (opened last year; see this Houston Press review).

(Celebrity chef David Chang called Houston “the most exciting food city in America” earlier this year.)

Wine director and general manager Sara Stayer has created an amazing wine program there with a focus on small-scale growers and artisanal winemaking.

It’s so great to know that our wine is in good hands!

Thank you, Nobie’s, and thank you, Sara! We can’t wait to get back to Houston next year to eat at your wonderful restaurant.

Nobie’s
2048 Colquitt St.
Houston TX 77098
(346) 319-5919
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