Phermento Metodo Ancestrale Rosé '23

Lambrusco doesn’t always arrive dressed in deep red. Medici Ermete’s Phermento 2023 is a sparkling rosé from Emilia-Romagna made with Lambrusco Sorbara, offering another way into one of Italy’s great food-wine traditions. Refreshing and unfiltered, it belongs as naturally beside lunch as it does at aperitif hour.

Metodo ancestrale means “ancestral method”: a way of making sparkling wine in which fermentation finishes in the bottle, trapping the carbon dioxide that becomes the bubbles. Phermento’s unfiltered character is part of its identity, rather than something to polish away. The rosé colour is also a useful reminder that Lambrusco is a family of grapes and wines, not a single uniform style.

Take your pairing cue from Emilia-Romagna: mortadella, prosciutto, Parmigiano Reggiano, and plenty of good bread. It’s also a good direction for fried snacks, pizza, or a picnic spread of salumi, cheese, and olives. Chill it well and open carefully without shaking. For the cheese board, try fresh goat cheese alongside a few shards of aged Parmesan, and let the bubbles carry the meal from one bite to the next.