CANTINA DELLA VOLTA
Modena, Emilia Romagna

↑ Silvano and his “cousin”
Have you ever been chased out of a restaurant with a salami?
Not a slice of salami, but a whole cured salami that makes your mouth water every time you see one.
This happened to me, when Angela Sini, the brains behind the marketing machine that is Cantina della Volta, took my girlfriend Kelsey and I to lunch at Locanda “La Grande” before a visit to the winery. Silvano, the owner of the restaurant, was waving the salami at us, wondering why on earth we decided to eat lunch so late. He was joking of course, and eventually welcomed us into one of the most memorable meals of my life, and not just because of the entertainment. I had tasted the wines before, in fact at a very unique event called Chef to Chef where I met Angela, but never with food like this.

The
Winemaker
Along with his father in the 80’s, Christian spent a lot of time learning how to make sparkling wine in Champagne, France. His quest, however, was to take the pesky, dirty, good for nothing Lambrusco di Sorbara grape and turn it into something magical, a champagne style wine in which second fermentation occurs in the bottle.
If you had polled fellow Lambrusco producers then, they would have thought Christian was nuts, and many of them will still tell you that today. However, Christian and his father were (and still are) ahead of their time and realized that the Lambrusco di Sorbara (one of several dozen Lambrusco clones found in Emilia Romagna) grape possessed similar characteristics to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in France, particularly the acidity, crucial for sparkling wine production. With rigorous study and a natural talent for “spumante” Christian embarked on this mission in his winery Cantina della Volta.

The
Vineyard
These wines are really one of a kind, and according to Christian, are a real validation of a territory that has been given a bad wrap due to the reputation of Lambrusco in the past. These wines are a true representation of Lambrusco and proof that there are hidden treasures beyond parmiggiano reggiano cheese and Prosciutto di Parma in this lovely region.

The
Cantina

Varietal : Lambrusco di Sorbara 100%
• Classic Italian meats: Prosciutto, Mortadella and cheeses (Parmigiano) with crostini.
• Oysters
Grapes are harvested by hand and assorted in 17 kg crates. Cantina della Volta has a special crew that tends to the vines and is an important part of the harvest, carefully selecting grapes based on maturity. This crew works with producers in the region of Franciacorta as well, so they have a specific “know-how” when it comes to Spumante.
When the grapes arrive at the winery they spend a short amount of time on the skins before being pressed (hence the beautiful ruby color, and not that darker red we see with most Lambrusco). The wine undergoes a delicate press and only the first press will be used to produce all of the wines of Cantina della Volta (further pressing can mix in seeds and skins that create less desired flavors). From there, fermentation occurs in oxygen controlled steel tanks, and upon completion, the wine will spend several months on the lees to settle before second fermentation.
Second fermentation occurs with the addition of selected yeasts from the Champagne region. The wine will age (upside down, customary for champagne) for up to 24 months on the lees before disgorgement at the addition of the liqueur d’expedition. This liqueur is a house blend of sort from a base wine and sugar cane. Being a Brut (which means the wine is very dry) this house blend is not super sweet and really meant to balance out harsh acids.

Lambrusco di Sorbara D.O.P.
Varietal : Lambrusco di Sorbara 100%
The winery boasts that this wine is like drinking two wines in one, both visually and in regards to taste. The first few glasses are lighter in color and clearer in the glass. You will taste more of the fresh fruit, rose petal and the wine will be slightly leaner. The final few glasses are cloudier and take on more of a bready, yeasty component from the lees (dead yeast cells) that still remain in the bottle. It’s like a science project!
• Classic Italian meats: Prosciutto, Mortadella and cheeses (Parmigiano) with crostini.
• Pizza
• Grilled meats
Grapes are harvested by hand and assorted in 17 kg crates and are taken in to be pressed under cold temperatures. Here there is less rigorous of a selection and press than the champenoise method wines.
Second fermentation occurs in the bottle with no addition of yeasts or sugar, nothing. This style of production is known both in Italy and France as the Ancestral method. The wine is added to the bottle and closed with a metal cork screw. From here the magic happens with a completely spontaneous second fermenation at a constant temperature of about 53 degrees fahrenheit. In the Ancestral method there is no removal of the lees like the other wines from Cantina della Volta nor is there an addition of a dosage. This is why this wine is so bone dry and has sour notes of red fruit. These fruits have not been balanced by sugar in the dosage. What you see is what you get here.

Varietal : Lambrusco di Sorbara 100%
• Recommended for an aperitivo (meats and cheeses!)
• Sushi
• Oysters
• Shrimp Tempura
• Tortellini with butter and sage
See Notes from Lambrusco di Modena Brut. The process is nearly identical, besides the fact that the grapes here will spend less time on the skins before pressing, thus it’s beautiful salmon, pink color.

Varietal : Lambrusco di Sorbara 100%

Spumante Brut
Varietal : Pino Noir 60%, Chardonnay 40%
• Sushi
• Smoked Salmon
The carefully selected vineyard in Ricco di Serramozzini is home to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones, selected by Christian and his father in the early 90’s. This site was chosen to mimic conditions in the Champagne region as much as possible, with a similar micro-climate, calcareous soils, and a nearby woodsy area.
Grapes are harvested by hand and carefully taken to the winery so as to not cause breakage of skins, thus allowing fermentation to start. A very soft first press ensues with only the “fior d’uva” being moved to temperature controlled steel tanks for fermentation.
Second fermentation in the bottle ensues after the wine has had six months to rest. Here the wine ages at least 20 months in the bottle helping to create even more complexities than the previous Lambrusco’s.
Visit the Cantina della Volta Website
(It’s in English!)