Lambrusco

Lambrusco is one of Italy's great, under-appreciated wines

Lambrusco is a delicious, food-friendly wine that works brilliantly on its own as a before-dinner aperitif or even as a light accompaniment to lunch or dinner. Since there were so many not-so-great Lambrusco bottles on the American market for so long, many wine lovers don't give it the respect it deserves. That's all changing, however, as the good stuff is finally finding its way to glasses and dinner tables all over America. Here's what makes it so special.

What is Lambrusco?

Lambrusco is a usually sparkling wine produced in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna from the grape variety of the same name. It can be dry or sweet or anywhere in between. It goes by many colloquial names, including:

• Lambrusco wine.
• Lambrusco Rosso.
• Lambrusco red wine.
• Lambrusco sparkling.
• Lambrusco frizzante (which means gently sparkling).
• Lambrusco Reggiano (which refers to the fact that it's from one of the legally permitted regions for its production).
• Lambrusco dolce (which means sweet Lambrusco).

How is Lambrusco made?

Lambrusco starts off like any other wine: With the harvesting of grapes, the pressing of them to release the juice, and then the fermentation of that juice. The secondary fermentation that turns the wine from still to sparkling is more often than not done in the same way as it is for Prosecco—it occurs in a large, pressurized stainless steel tank—which is known as the Charmat method.

What does Lambrusco taste like?

Lambrusco runs the gamut from dry to sweet, and the sweeter it is, the more pronounced the fruit notes will likely be. In general, however, Lambrusco tends to showcase effusive flavors of red berries, sweet spice, and often a hint of flowers in the rose petal vein. Occasionally, notes of blood orange and Mandarin orange swirl around in there, too.

What are popular brands of Lambrusco?

There are many popular brands of Lambrusco, including Boticello, Riunite, Medici, Cella, and Cavicchioli.

Is Lambrusco a sweet wine?

Lambrusco can be produced in various styles, from dry to sweet, but the most common ones on the American market tend to be the sweeter ones. Luckily, Lambrusco labels make it easy to tell what's inside: Lambrusco labeled secco will be dry, Lambrusco labeled semisecco, or Amabile will be semi-sweet, and Lambrusco labeled dolce will be sweet.

How do you serve Lambrusco wine?

And can you drink Lambrusco cold? Lambrusco is generally served chilled, if not quite as cold as many other sparkling wines. The colder you serve it, the more bitter the tannins will be (though there's not all that much tannin in most Lambrusco), and the more pronounced the spice and citrus will be. Less cold (but still chilled) will allow the Lambrusco's strawberry, mountain berry, and floral notes to ring through with greater clarity. You can drink Lambrusco from a Champagne flute or a white wine glass, though a white wine glass will allow it to most fully shine.

Browse our full selection of Lambrusco online or check out our selection of highly-rated Lambrusco for a great new Lambrusco to try this week!

Want to learn more about Lambrusco?

Visit our Guide to Lambrusco to learn more about Lambrusco.