Make Lambrusco Your Summer-to-Fall Transitional Wine

These juicy, red bubbly bottles from northern Italy are an unexpected treat this season.

If the last time you sipped lambrusco was back when commercials for Riunite suggested that serving it on ice was “so nice”, you’re missing out on a very cool under-the-radar wine category. Though it conjures thoughts of a treacly effervescent red in a jug, modern lambrusco is not only dry (or dryish), it also has a lower abv and comes in more colors than ruby red. And it’s a food-friendly option that works especially well as the mercury fluctuates.

Though bottles made thirty or forty years ago did nothing to quell the notion that all lambrusco was fizzy, sweet and cheap, that perception is changing, says Dr. Julia Prestia, owner of Venturini Baldini, which makes several different styles. “Over the past ten years there has been an emergence of a variety of dry wines with a strong varietal character, often with a return to traditional winemaking methods like metodo ancestrale or rifermentato in bottiglia,” she says. “These premium wines have... allow[ed consumers] to see lambrusco as a serious sparkling wine [in] a wide range of varieties.” Techniques including organic farming, estate-grown grapes, longer fermentation times, select hillside sites and lowered yields have allowed Venturini Baldini and other producers to create clean, aromatic expressions.

The various styles (and colors) can be attributed in part to the fact that there are seven DOCs for lambrusco, six in Emilia-Romagna and one in Lombardy, as well as sixty permitted varietals with different characteristics, explains Alessandro Medici, brand ambassador for Medici Ermete. “Sorbara and marani have very important acidity similar to chardonnay and pinot noir in the Champagne area, grasparossa has a lot of tannin, and salamino is the most balanced.” Those four grapes are the highest quality varietals, and all happen to be indigenous to Emilia-Romagna.

There are three methods that can be used to give the wine its signature bubbles. The charmat or tank method also used for Prosecco is most common, which results in dry or sweet styles, but the traditional method (also employed in Champagne) gives elegant, age-worthy wines with great acidity. Oldest is the ancestral method (also called pét-nat), where secondary fermentation happens in the bottle but the yeasts aren’t filtered out, leading to dry wines that are cloudy and crisp. “Today there is a much drier style of production in general, with less residual sugars than once characterized this wine,” explains Tara Empson, CEO of Empson & Co. and Empson USA, the importer of Molo 8 Lambrusco Mantovano. “The style that we produce is considered to be semi-sweet but never too sugary, so it maintains its versatility and drinkability,” she says. 

photo by Amanda Schuster

Brent Kroll, proprietor and sommelier of the two locations of Maxwell Park in Washington, D.C. agrees that modern lambrusco is trending drier. “I’ve even heard of some Italians checking the alcohol to make sure it’s 11% or over—secco/dry/”real” lambrusco.” A huge proponent of secco bottles, which he describes to the unfamiliar as a “fizzy red wine with intense fruit and sometimes intense tannin,” Kroll holds a yearly Lambrusco Week at his wine bars, with flights, pairings and educational tastings. He’s also noticed an uptick in bianco and rosato, both of which can show subtle peachy notes.

No matter the color, its high acid content and crisp finish are best enjoyed by serving it chilled between 48 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, Prestia says. “Lambrusco is perfect for both aperitivo and with meals, an enjoyable, easy to drink, social and fun wine.” She recommends serving the traditional red style with Italian pasta dishes, pizza, BBQ and teriyaki, and rosato with grilled fish, seafood and sushi. In an homage to the tradition of natives walking down the streets of Emilia-Romagna with a cup of lambrusco in one hand and a cup of salumi in the other, Kroll suggests pairing it with any type of cured meat, when a swig of those bubbles will help whisk away its fatty mouthfeel.

“Lambrusco is not a meditation wine but a wine to drink seated at the table,” Medici muses, like for a happy hour aperitivo, quick business lunch or companion to a rich dinner. “People want something different, fun, fresh and drinkable: that's Lambrusco.”

Va bene!

Bottles to try:

Fiorini “Tere Al Sole” Lambrusco di Grasparossa 2019 ($18): “This has an intensity of dark fruit but is pretty straightforward, tannic, fruit, fresh-tasting and structured,” Kroll says. “To me this is classic Grasparossa, the wine you want with all the sliced meats or a steak off the grill with marbling.”

Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara ‘Radice’ NV ($19): “This is a gateway to Lambrusco—tart citrus and red fruit with less tannin than the darker versions,” Kroll notes. “A rosé style that a Provence rosé lover would appreciate, but a little more sour.” Try it with mortadella, wet salumi or ceviche, he suggests.

Lini 910 Lambrusco Bianco di Salamino NV ($16): “A white Lambrusco that’s a blanc de noirs, with red fruit notes that aren’t overly sour,” Kroll says. “Great on its own or to use in spritzes, it’s less floral than Prosecco and pairs well with fresh fruit or spicy chicken.” 

Alex Guillaume via Unsplash

Molo 8 Lambrusco Mantovano ($14), Intense ruby red in the glass with a fragrant and persistent nose of black cherries and wild berries, with a palate that’s fruity and pleasantly sweet. Pair it with cheese, ham, salami, pork and cold cuts.

Venturini Baldini Lambrusco Cadelvento ($23): “Pale pink with a fragrant and long-lasting bouquet recalling rosehips and ripe plum, it has a balanced, fresh and elegant palate with fine bubbles,” says Prestia of this rosé style. “Perfect with tuna tartare, fish soup or grilled fish, cheese platters and grilled chicken.”

Venturini Baldini Lambrusco Montelocco ($19): “Ruby red with violet reflections, it has a perceptible fragrance of herbs and juicy black cherries, with a fresh and semi-dry flavor with light tannic sensations,” notes Prestia. “Great as an aperitivo, with pizza and meat pasta dishes or roast chicken.”

Medici Ermete Concerto Reggiano Lambrusco 2019 ($24.99): The winery’s flagship offering is the world’s first single vineyard vintage lambrusco, made in the charmat method with grapes from the Tenuta La Rampata vineyard. “It's dry, deep, with an intense dark red color,” Medici says. Aromas of raspberry, strawberry and cherry are followed by a fruity yet dry palate that has vibrant acidity and balanced tannins and a clean, fresh finish.

Medici Ermete Solo Reggiano Lambrusco 2018 ($19.99): “Salamino gives the structure and ancellotta the intense color and the sweetness,” Medici says of this wine marketed as “Assolo” in its native Italy. “It's a dry wine, well balanced with a beautiful acidity and an elegant tannin, [and] goes well with cured meats, fresh pasta, Bolognese sauce, different styles of barbecue and Japanese ramen.