Interview with Max Brondolo/Podere Sottoilnoce

vinonudo: Max, in Castelvetro di Modena you produce a range of different Rifermentati—Lambrusco, but also various white and rosé sparkling wines. What exactly are Rifermentati?

Max Brondolo: Rifermentati are sparkling wines that undergo a second fermentation in the bottle, much like Champagne. In our case, that includes three Lambruscos, two rosés, and one white Frizzante. Unlike Champagne or Franciacorta sparkling wines, Frizzante wines have only about three bars of pressure. Champagne has roughly twice as much. This has important implications for production, largely due to Italian legislation. For wines below three bars of pressure, Italian law prohibits the use of sucrose to initiate the second fermentation. You must instead use a product derived from grapes. In addition, Rifermentati are almost never disgorged. That means they remain in contact with the yeast from bottling onward.

vinonudo: So how do you start the second fermentation if you are not allowed to use sucrose—ordinary sugar?

Max: There are many different methods, and listing them all would probably go beyond the scope of this conversation. The three most important are: unfiltered sweet must, filtered must, and fructose. Unfiltered sweet must has the disadvantage of containing large numbers of microorganisms. These are living organisms and therefore lead to completely unpredictable results. Things can go well, but they do not necessarily have to. We lack the equipment needed to work with filtered must. So we use organic grape sugar. I'm not entirely happy with that solution either.

vinonudo: Why not?

Max: The sugar stimulates the yeasts remaining in the wine to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol. The former is, of course, highly desirable; the latter less so. Because of increasingly warm conditions, by harvest time we often have grapes that, once fermented, yield a base wine with 11.5–12% alcohol. If additional alcohol is then produced during the second fermentation, I end up with Frizzante wines approaching 13% alcohol.

vinonudo: But grape must also contains sugar, doesn't it?

Max: It does, but that sugar is dissolved in liquid form. It also raises the alcohol level, but to a much smaller extent.

vinonudo: And what do you think of harvesting earlier?

Max: Nothing at all. I know that many growers are doing it nowadays, here as well as in France. Grapes harvested too early taste the same everywhere. I believe that only fully ripe grapes truly express their terroir. That is my goal.

vinonudo: In the past, Lambrusco was made using the metodo ancestrale, the method that today is better known as Pét-Nat. Why don't you use that method anymore? Does it not interest you?

Max: It certainly interests me, but today it simply doesn't work anymore—at least not if you don't want to artificially keep temperatures low. It's simply too warm. In the past, harvest often took place in October, sometimes even in November. Temperatures were low, fermentation proceeded slowly, and usually paused sometime in December. That gave you all the time in the world to bottle wines that were still fermenting. In spring, as temperatures rose, fermentation would finish naturally in bottle. Today we often harvest in early September, when temperatures frequently exceed 30°C (86°F). Fermentations can be extremely vigorous. Under those conditions it is nearly impossible to bottle the wine safely. Moreover, the wine would contain too many suspended solids and microorganisms. I would therefore be forced to disgorge it—and I don't want to do that.

vinonudo: Why not?

Max: Wines evolve on their lees. The yeast provides perfect protection against oxidation and also enriches the wine from a sensory perspective. My Frizzante wines generally age exceptionally well. They remain fresh, gain finesse, and gradually develop a wide range of secondary aromas.

vinonudo: Yes, we've noticed that repeatedly. The Valtiberia is truly impressive after a year of bottle aging. The Lambruscos also benefit greatly from several years of maturation. Speaking of Lambrusco, some time ago you suggested that, because of climate change, you no longer see a future for Grasparossa—the classic Lambrusco variety of the Modenese Apennines—at least in your vineyards. Isn't that a bit pessimistic?

Max: Unfortunately not. For Grasparossa, it has simply become too warm where I am. Grasparossa accumulates sugar while simultaneously losing acidity. It needs a relatively long and cool ripening period. Those conditions no longer exist. As a result, unless you intervene, it usually becomes heavy and overly alcoholic.

vinonudo: And how have you personally responded to that?

Max: When I started here ten years ago, my vineyards were almost entirely planted with Lambrusco Grasparossa. Today, instead of the four hectares I had then, only four rows remain. I grafted over most of the vineyard and replaced Grasparossa largely with Lambrusco di Fiorano (also known as Lambrusco del Pellegrino), Uva Tosca, and white grape varieties.

vinonudo: Lambrusco di Fiorano is a little-known Lambrusco variety. Why did you choose it, and how did you discover it?

Max: Some time ago I came across a book written by a local clergyman in the nineteenth century. In it, he compiled a catalogue of grape varieties around Castelvetro and identified no fewer than ninety-eight different varieties. I studied them and considered which one might be suitable. Then I tasted an interpretation of Lambrusco di Fiorano made by Claudio Plessi, a winemaker friend, and I liked it very much. So I planted a parcel, loved the results, and planted more.

vinonudo: Can you briefly describe its characteristics?

Max: Lambrusco di Fiorano ripens late and accumulates sugar during ripening without losing too much acidity. Thanks to its thin skins, it can be macerated for a long time. As a wine, it is delicate and extremely elegant. Aromatically, it usually shows floral, subtly spicy, and fruity notes. However, because of its thin skins, it is far less robust than Grasparossa. That's also why it has almost completely disappeared from vineyards.

vinonudo: Lambrusco di Fiorano isn't the only rare grape variety in your vineyards. Uva Tosca would be another example.

Max: That's true. Uva Tosca is one of the most unusual grape varieties I have ever encountered. At full ripeness, its clusters contain red, pink, and white berries simultaneously. That's why you can never make a red wine from it—but you can make an excellent rosé. It possesses a freshness and vitality that it retains even at 40°C (104°F) in the shade. For a long time, Uva Tosca was grown in the higher hills south of Castelvetro, on the road toward Tuscany. That's supposedly where its name comes from.

vinonudo: Last but not least, you also grow white grapes from which you make Valtiberia and Funambol. Both are special, but the latter in particular is, at least in our view, a milestone in the history of white wine in Emilia. You use Trebbiano di Spagna for it.

Max: Exactly. Just as there is not only one Lambrusco variety, the Trebbiano family also includes many different members. Trebbiano di Spagna is virtually unknown in wine production, largely because it creates a great deal of work and trouble both in the vineyard and in the cellar. The reason it has not completely disappeared is that a few families still use it for the most prestigious version of traditional balsamic vinegar.

When I bought my vineyards in 2017, there were five rows of Trebbiano di Spagna planted among the Lambrusco vines. In the very first year, I vinified them separately in two large demijohns. The aromas that emerged after a short time were incredible. Since then, I have planted a larger area with it and now age the wine in concrete tanks.