Bietighöfer | 'Rusco' Sparkling Red

The Lamb-Rusco of our dreams

The sheep on the label is both a reference to this wine’s style, “Lamb Rusco,” a cute nod to the Italian wine, Lambrusco, that put sparkling red wines on the map, and a symbol of the uniquely short-legged livestock that frolics amongst this German vineyard eating weeds and making natural fertilizer. Stefan Bietighöfer describes these adorable creatures as the “Corgi of sheep,” with conveniently short legs so they can’t reach and pilfer all the grapes.

Now the wine... this is the holidays-parties-sitting around eating-drinking-enjoying kind of wine. It’s slightly bubbly, dark plush red, smooth as silk, and friendly on the finish. Serve chilled to anyone with tastebuds for a surprisingly crowd-friendly new treat.

$36

Winery

Bietighöfer

Type

Dornfelder, Cabernet Franc

Sustainability

Biodynamic

Origin

Pfalz, Germany

Alcohol

11.0%

Delicious With

Pairs similarly to the wines of Emilia-Romagna, the home of salami, prosciutto, mortadella, bresaola Bolognese Ragu, tortellini, ravioli, cannelloni and PIZZA! Other matches are strawberry arugula salad with Balsamic, grilled chicken, lamb, hamburgers, steak, Tokyo-style ramen, orange chicken, General Tso’s chicken and Korean BBQ ribs. Cheese-wise try it with pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano. Also delicious with dark chocolates!

Their Cred

Easily our favorite new producer! This young winemaker, Stefan, grew up in the wine world and butted heads with his father over all aspects of the growing and making of wines from their family estate in Germany. Pissed off and determined, Stefan went to France, specifically Burgundy and Alsace, to study winemaking. When he returned, the quarrels continued and he agreed to take over the family business, only if he could radically change and control the entire operation. He converted the vineyards to fully biodynamic and shifted to a natural, hands-off approach in the winery. “Hats off to you Stefan” because these are some of the best wines we have tasted all year!