UPDATED 2/23/2012 with informaion from RethinkLambrusco.org
When I first heard of Lambrusco, my mind drifted to some sort of osso bucco made out of lamb. While that sounds delicious, that is not what this stuff is at all. Lambrusco is a very gently sparkling red wine from Italy. Wines made from the Lambrusco grape get the same name, but not all of them are sparkling. The best of the Lambrusco wines are classified as frizzante, which means very lightly sparkling.
Back in the day, Labrusco was quite popular. Almost 40 years ago, it reached its pinnacle as the top selling imported wine in the US. Over time, Lambrusco has fallen out of favor domestically, but is still popular world wide.
Similar to other Italian sparkling wines, Lambrusco is made in the Charmat method instead of the Methode Champenoise. It is generally quite sweet with lots of berry flavors and heavy acidity. However, if you were to go to the regions in Italy where Lambrusco is produced, it is more frequently dry instead of sweet. If you’re like me and don’t have the option of going to Emilia and Lombardy to sample this “true” Lambrusco, look in your local wine store for bottle Lambrusco with at least 10.5% alcohol that are also labeled secco or dry.
Actually, Lambrusco is dry red wine in the area of production (Emilia and Lombardy.) Unfortunately, most of what gets exported is dolce or super sweet. You can easily spot a commercial, for-export-only bottle by checking the alcohol level. True Lambrusco has to have a minimum of 10.5% alcohol and labeled ‘secco’ (dry); “industrial versions” have only 7% to 8% alcohol.
I love Lambrusco. It’s such a food friendly wine. Most people say ‘yuck, a sparkling red.’ I say ‘Try it, I promise you’ll enjoy it.’ ‘Okay…wow, that wasn’t what I was expecting. Oh, it’s really good. I’ll take 3 bottles.’
Nice to see you feature Lambrusco! Just a bit of fact-correction for you:
“Back in the day, Labrusco was quite popular. Almost 40 years ago, it reached its pinnacle as the top selling imported wine in the US. Over time, Lambrusco has fallen out of favor domestically, but is still popular world wide.”
Actually, Lambrusco REMAINS the #1-selling Italian red wine in the USA. Further, it STARTED its run of popularity almost 40 years ago; the pinnacle was in the mid-1980s, when it was selling 10-million-plus cases per year in the USA.
Hope to see Lambrusco reviews in the future!
Thanks for your feedback. I do appreciate the correction, as I strive to be as accurate as possible.
Can you include a link to a reference so I can validate this?