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Koi

Illusione Frizzante 2018

Sale price: $24.95 Regular price:$26.95
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Tasting notes

Trebbiano Modenese is a hyper-local variety that simply does not exist outside the hills around Bologna and Modena, and Koi is one of the only producers making it as an undisgorged ancestral-method sparkling with zero added sulfur. The wine has genuine textural weight from the lees contact and the cloudy sediment, a brioche and citrus-zest nose, and a clean, mineral-bitter finish that makes it more interesting than almost anything in its price range.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Yuzu ZestWhite PeachBriocheWildflowers
  • Style: Ancestral-method sparkling white; cloudy pale gold; citrus zest, white flower, brioche; bone dry; very high acidity; zero SO2
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Trebbiano Modenese; certified organic; 60-year-old vines; clay-dominant foothills between Modena and Bologna; Bellussi trellis training
  • Winemaking: Whole-cluster direct press; indigenous yeast fermentation at 18-20°C; 10% frozen must added in spring for secondary fermentation in bottle; undisgorged; unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2
  • Serving: Serve at 48-52°F; swirl gently before pouring to redistribute lees; no decanting needed
  • Pairing: Mortadella, fritto misto, anchovies, pasta in brodo, fresh cheeses
  • Similar To: For fans of undisgorged Champagne, Pét-Nat, and Lambrusco Bianco who want genuine Emilian rifermentato style

Illusione is made from 100% Trebbiano Modenese, a white variety native to the hills around Modena that does not exist outside of this appellation. The grapes come from vines approximately 60 years old, growing in clay-dominant soils in the foothills between the Modenese and Bolognese hills. The vines are trained in the traditional Bellussi system, an old regional trellis method that raises the canopy to around 6.5 feet — a technique suited to the humidity of the Po plain and now nearly extinct because it cannot be mechanized.

Winemaking follows the ancestral method, known locally as rifermentato in bottiglia. Whole clusters are direct-pressed at harvest in mid-September. About 10% of the must is collected and kept frozen. The remaining 90% ferments dry with indigenous yeasts at 18-20°C. In spring, the frozen must is added back to the wine as a natural liqueur de tirage and the blend is bottled. Secondary fermentation takes place in bottle, the wine is never disgorged, and zero sulfur dioxide is added at any stage. No fining or filtration.

The result is cloudy, with fine persistent bubbles, pale gold in color, and a yeasty, brioche-like nose layered with citrus zest, white flower, and bruised apple. The palate is dry, textured, and driven by the variety's naturally high acidity, with a mineral, slightly bitter finish characteristic of Trebbiano Modenese. The wine gains complexity with bottle age, developing notes closer to aged Champagne over time.

Illusione is classified as Emilia Bianco IGP Spumante. It is certified organic and produced by Azienda Agricola Koi di Flavio Restani, based in Valsamoggia, in the metropolitan area of Bologna.

The high acidity and fine bubbles make this a natural partner for fried or oily foods: think fritto misto, anchovies in olive oil, or a plate of local cured meats like mortadella. It also pairs well with fresh pasta in brodo, the kind of light, broth-based first course common to Bologna. Drink it slightly chilled at around 48-52°F, and give the bottle a gentle swirl before pouring to redistribute the lees sediment.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Sparkling Wine
Wine Style:, Sparkling
Grapes:, Trebbiano Modenese
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, N/A
Country:, Italy
Region:, Emilia-Romagna
Appellation:, Emilia Bianco IGP
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

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**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Koi

Azienda Agricola Koi was founded in 2018 by Flavio Restani in Valsamoggia, in the metropolitan province of Bologna. Before starting Koi, Restani worked at several established Lambrusco producers in the Modenese area. The name Koi references the Japanese carp, a symbol of perseverance and nonconformity in Japanese culture. The winery is a member of VinNatur, the Italian natural wine association.

Koi farms 3.5 hectares of certified organic vineyards in the foothills between the Modenese and Bolognese hills, at what is described locally as zona pedecollinare. Soils throughout are medium-textured with a prevalence of clay. Vine age runs from 30 to 60 years depending on the plot. The main varieties planted are Trebbiano Modenese, Trebbiano di Spagna, Lambrusco Grasparossa, and Lambrusco Salamino, along with smaller parcels of Pignoletto, Moscato, Montuni, and Albana. Total production across all wines is approximately 4,000 bottles per year.

All vineyards at Koi are trained in the traditional Bellussi system, an old Bolognese pergola-like trellis that positions fruit at approximately 6.5 feet off the ground. The system is nearly extinct in the region because it cannot be mechanized. Winemaking across Koi's range uses indigenous yeasts exclusively, with no fining, filtration, or added sulfur dioxide. The Illusione is made by the ancestral method: primary fermentation is completed in tank, and secondary fermentation is triggered in bottle using 10% of frozen must from the same harvest added in spring. The wine is sold undisgorged.

Wine region

Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Emilia-Romagna runs across the top of the Italian peninsula south of the Po River, from the Adriatic Sea almost to the west coast, with Bologna as its capital. The region divides into two historically and geographically distinct halves: Emilia in the west, a broad agricultural plain backed by the Apennine foothills, and Romagna in the east, closer to the Adriatic. Most vineyards sit on the plains (roughly 75% of total area), with a meaningful portion on the pre-Apennine hill zones. In Emilia, the climate is a mild continental type, with wet winters and hot, dry summers. The foothills near Modena and Bologna, where Koi farms, have clay-dominant, medium-textured soils and good diurnal temperature variation during the growing season.

Emilia-Romagna holds 2 DOCGs, 19 DOCs, and 9 IGPs, and ranks third among Italian regions by wine volume. The Emilia or dell'Emilia IGP covers a broad swath of the western part of the region and is the appellation under which Koi's Illusione is classified. The region's signature grapes are Lambrusco and Trebbiano in Emilia, and Sangiovese and Albana in Romagna. Trebbiano Modenese, the grape in Illusione, is distinct from Trebbiano Romagnolo and Trebbiano di Romagna DOC: it is a local biotype found only in the hills between Modena and Bologna, known for naturally high acidity and aromatic complexity that lends itself to traditional ancestral-method sparkling wine.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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