Irene Balim in the barrel room of Frignano estate winery.
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Frignano - Italy
Frignano is located in North-Central Italy, in Emilia Romagna in the Modena province. A small winery, Irene Balim and her partner make organic and natural wines from grapes native to their area. At an altitude of approximately 1500 feet, they have a unique micro-climate with interesting diurnal effects. This, along with their clay, silt and sand soils, create grapes that are great for sparkling wines.
They started with their first harvest in 1993, and expanded in the early 2000s and now produce unique sparkling wines with the red grapes local to the area such as Malbo Gentile, Tosca and Lambrusco Grasparossa.
They are known for their organic, native yeast fermentation wines and for making sparkling wines using the ancestral method, or pet-nat style, sparkling wine wines, which are bottled col fondo, or on the lees.
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Made from the rare Uva Tosca grape, which grows in higher altitudes in Emilia and is believed to be a descendant of Schiava Grossa, the Alto Adige red grape. Technically a rose wine, it is more like a light red, which looks and tastes like drinking cranberry juice as a sparkling wine. Refreshing and quaffable, with strawberries on the nose and a saline finish, it is great on its own or with light fare. While this grape does not impart much color, 2021 was a dry year, producing more concentrated fruit and color. It is naturally fermented and sparkling 'col fondo' ancestral, or pet nat, style wine.
This is an ancestral method Lambrusco made primarily with the Lambrusco Grasparossa grape, and with some Malbo Gentile grape, which is local to the area of Frignano in Modena. It is a lighter red ruby color, light effervescence, a nose that has red fruit with hint of orange peel. It is fresh and fruity, with plum taste, and grippy tannins and noticeable texture.
Frignano is located in Serramazzoni, near Modena, Italy.
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