Meet Mario

With the weather heating up I felt it was the perfect time to open this bottle of Sparkling Lemoncello (or Limoncello as it's normally spelt) that I bought from Italy earlier this year. Purchased from Saraceni Wines, this wasn't my indented purchase, which I am saving for another sunny day, I had to buy a minimum of three bottles to be able to get it shipped over to me and decided to choose this as one of the three. I did have to pay an import tax of $50 which was not included in the price of purchase and I cannot say what the import tax would be for your country but I felt it was reasonable.

Limoncello is an Italian lemon liquor, possibly one of the most famous and is best served ice cold. 

Everyone has their own variation of the recipe with most people using either Vodka or a grain based alcohol. Mario is different. Mario is the first sparkling Lemoncello made by Saraceni Wines and is neither a wine or a Lemoncello but a marriage of both. Designed to be enjoyed over ice and at any time of the day, it's something a little different. The low alcohol content means you can have a few more glasses then the traditional Limoncello and not feel too guilty.

The bottle has a cork like a champagne or sparkling wine bottle and makes a very satisfying POP when you open it up. The colour is neither yellow or green, every time it seems more yellow you catch a tinge of green around the edges. The smell is sweet and lemony but not fresh lemon, a little bit of sherbet with a touch of white wine but not a specific variety, at least I wasn't able to determine one. There is also a weird clean smell with lemon, like a lemon detergent, not unpleasant but not what I was expecting. I tasted this in a few ways to find what I thought was the best combination.

Straight with no ice and cooled in the fridge: This was my first tasting of this product and boy was it overpowering, almost too much for me. They got the sparkle right as the drink has a lovely fizz in your mouth. The taste is sweet and the lemon flavour is not as fresh and zesty as I would have liked. The detergent smell carries over into the taste, clean and the lemon taste like it was made using an additive and not real lemons. On its own without anything this was too strong and sickly for me.

Straight over ice: As it says on the website this was designed to have over ice so this was the next taste test for me. I found this slightly better then just on its own but I still struggled with the fake lemon taste. I could only have a few sips before I moved on to another combination.

Iced with mineral water: I decided to cut this down with some mineral water and found that it was the most bearable so far. The ice chilled it better then what the fridge had done and the mineral water toned down the fake lemon flavour that was bothering me. Still not perfect though but the best of all taste tests so far.

Iced with fresh lemon juice and no mineral water: This was the winning combination for me. The fresh lemon juice added a brightness and acidity that it was lacking in my opinion. It also helped take away that fake lemon detergent flavour that was not quite right. The lemon also took 

away some of the sweetness and just made it all the more refreshing. This would be my recommendation to anyone wanting to try this. I've also found the more I try the more it grows on me. 

In conclusion I probably would buy this again but I wont be rushing out to buy it especially since I have to get it all the way from Italy. I do think if you are a Limoncello fan then you might want to try this. If you have any recommendations for a good traditional one I should try then please let me know, I would love to try them.

Do yourself a flavour and pop a bottle of this open with a glass of ice and a wedge of fresh lemon.