Angol d'Amig (Marco Lanzotti)
Vaciglio, Modena, Emila-Romagna, Italy
On first meeting Marco Lanzotti, one is struck by his kind and soft-spoken demeanor. After spending time with him, it becomes clear that Marco is a quietly determined individual whose gentle manner hides an intense curiosity and focus. Marco's love of wine began years ago, when he worked at Stallo del Pomodoro, an osteria in Modena, where the wine list included hundreds of labels, many of local origin. After years of tasting and talking to guests and colleagues, his curiosity led him to seek out the people behind the wines; eventually working with such notable Lambrusco producers as Vittorio Graziano, Ca de Noci, Luciano Saetti, and Cinque Campi. In 2013, these collaborations led Marco to try his hand at making his own wines, naming the project Angol d’Amig or the “friends’ corner” in the Modenese dialect.
Marco began by renting a small one-hectare plot at the San Polo organic farm in Vaciglio, outside of Modena, producing about 150cs to start. He has since added additional vineyards, restoring old vines around Modena, all on a mixture of clay, limestone and sandy-soils. Marco now farms a total of six hectares spread across three vineyards in the area. Marco does not use an autoclave, a method that started in the 1970s. Rather, he works by fermenting the base wine dry and allowing a natural sedimentation over the winter. The following spring, he adds frozen must from the prior vintage to generate a second fermentation in tank before bottling after about 20 days. The resulting wines have between between two and two-and-a-half barres of pressure, with the exception of Qui e Ora, which is closer to 4.5 barre. All that to say the bubbles add a gentle texture that do not overwhelm the base wine. Marco uses a little SO2 (2 grams per hectoliter) after fermentation to avoid bacterial spoilage.
Marco does not have a website or facebook page. The closest thing we could find was a blog post in Italian from 2020. Or enjoy some old Riunite commercials.
Our Selections
Angol d’Amig Scaramusc Lambrusco dell`Emilia IGP 2022
Modenese to its core: “Scaramusc” is Marco’s dark and brambly cuvee with lovely aromatics, earth, leather, and all. The name refers to a rambunctious carnival figure once common in Italian comedies of the 16th-18th centuries.
This is a deep, rich, sparkling Lambrusco made from a blend of Lambrusco Grasparossa, Lambrusco di Sorbara, and Lambrusco Salamino grapes. Grasparossa imparts deep color and texture, while Sorbara is the lightest and most elegant. Salamino, the most widely planted, ripens easily with good must weight. 11.5% ABV
Angol d’Amig Spoma? Emilia Lambrusco Rosato Frizzante IGP 2022
Marco’s delicious frizzante rosato, “Spoma?” translates to “Will it sparkle?” in the local dialect. The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to his grandfather’s era, when wines sometimes had a sparkle, and sometimes remained still.
Spoma? is made entirely from Lambrusco di Sorbara, the lightest of the four varieties of Lambrusco from the Modena region. Grown on clay-rich soils, Spoma? has a gentle sparkle, with fresh berry fruit on the palate and floral lift. This is a rare Lambrusco Rosato that is versatile enough to pair throughout a meal. 12% ABV.
Angol d’Amig Pulonia Emilia Bianco Frizzante IGP 2022
Pulonia is another one of Marco’s character references to the Commedia dell'arte. There is no appellation for Lambrusco Bianco, so this 50/50 blend of two local varaities, Pignoletto and Trebbiano Modenese, is considered an Emilia Bianco Frizzante.
While Pignoletto is more almond-scented, showing a bit more fullness on the palate, Trebbiano Modenese is elegant, vertical, very capable of extracting the salinity of the soil. Blended together and they present citrus, quince, cardamom, and honey on the nose, well-delineated structure and perfect mousse. There is a real story to tell through white Lambrusco, so we’ll need that appellation sooner or later. 12.5% alcohol.
Angol d’Amig Qui e Ora Trebbiano dell`Emilia Bianco Frizzante IGP 2021
Made in the smallest quantities (only 950 bottles!), “Qui e Ora” is Marco’s undisgorged cuvee Made from 80% Trebbiano Modenese and 20% Trebbiano di Spagna. This is a savory and rich sparkler, and a little bit cloudy. But that extended lees aging has done something tremendous: Notes of pear, quince, spice, and fresh-baked bread, this is a stunning ancestral method wine with complexity and longevity.
While perfectly enjoyable when opened normally, you can also disgorge the wine yourself! Hold the well-chilled bottle over a bowl in the sink or with the neck semi submerged in a bowl of water, then popped the crown cap. The counterforce of the water will keep the lees in the bottle. 12.5% Alcohol.