The only way we could possibly end our tour of Mantua’s food and wine specialties is with a guided tour of the cellars and vineyards of the Lambrusco Mantovano DOC, a sparkling wine from the Bassa Mantovana grown on the clay-rich soils to south of the Po.

This wine has a geographical production area that consists of two specific sub-regions: the low plain of the Oltrepò Mantovano (located to the right of the Po river) and the medium plain of the Viadanese-Sabbionetano (between the Po and the Oglio river), with both characterised by high humidity and summer temperatures exceeding 22° C to ensure the optimal ripening of the grapes. 
A wine with roots stretching back to antiquity (the Roman poet Virgil wrote about Lambrusco grapes over two thousand years ago!), Lambrusco Mantovano boasts a long tradition and an enduring fame (it also seems to have been a favourite of Benedictine monks) despite being the last of Lombardy’s wines to obtain DOC certification in 1987. This delay has amply rewarded however by Lambrusco wines receiving much acclaim and many awards in the wine world in the last decade. A very pleasant sparkling ruby red table wine with a minimum alcohol content of 10%, it has a full-bodied, fruity and rather intense aroma, while the palate is soft, with minimal tannins and rather fresh. Undergoing a second fermentation to obtain its characteristic bubbles, it should be combined with smooth-textured dishes, such as meat broths, bolliti misti and stewed cotechini to be able to fully appreciate its delightful taste.