To the uninitiated, Lambrusco may sound like it was named for a family of wise guys who hang out on a Brooklyn corner, eating chicken parm sandwiches and greeting one another with fist bumps. But in the wine world, Lambrusco is a family of grapes from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, which is cultivated into a light and bubbly vino meant to wash down the region’s rich, refined cuisine.
This fizzy wine, available in red, white, and rosé, has a bad rep, thanks to the Riunite ad campaign of the mid-’80s, but suddenly, everybody’s talking about it—and some serious wine bloggers are giddily gearing up for a Lambrusco comeback. Dr. Vino says that Lambrusco may become his “Wine Of The Summer 2007,” and after downing a $4 bottle of Canei Lambrusco Dell’Emilia NV, the Wine Cask Blog calls it a “legitimate wine from a beautiful village in Italy.” Here at CHOW, the Medici Ermete Quercioli Reggiano Lambrusco DOC Secco made our list of easy-drinking summer wines, and Food & Wine’s senior wine editor, Ray Isle, offers a rundown of artisanal Lambruscos that will “make you forget you ever heard the word Riunite.” Wine Library Terroir goes deeper into the description of the grape:
Lambrusco’s flavor and aroma range can vary quite a bit, but most Lambruscos show a chalky minerality mixed with chocolatey, dark berry aromas, a VERY dark color, and a rich and full body that is balanced by a prominent acidity, and of course the fine bubbles and the COOL froth that gathers at the top of the glass like a violet-colored head of a good Belgian beer.
In other words, it’ll impress the winos at your next barbecue. Blogger Eat Drink One Woman, reporting on a recent Lambrusco tasting event, sees this grape’s summer party potential:
[T]hough I liked the sharpish Lini rosé okay and the buzzy blackberry Labrusca Rosso even better, it was the Labrusca Bianco from Emilia that won me over. This white lambrusco is a touch drier than the pear-scented proseccos I usually drink in the summer, with a humming fizz. It’s sunny and gentle—ideal for drinking with rolled up cuffs and white cotton.
Yo, I’ll fist-bump to that.
i have been drinking lambrusco for 35 years. it is the only non-alcoholic beverage i drink. it is next to impossible to get this on any given evening out on the town. bars and clubs just do not carry it. rarely you can get a glass in a good italian restaurant. i am so happy to hear that lambrusco is making it’s mark now. if you come to my home, there are gallons of it. i love it.
I was in the Emilia-Romagna this past July when there was an insane heat wave, temperatures of 112 degrees and higher, and the best antidote for the heat I found was a pasta salad and a class of DOC Lambrusco. All the types I tried were absolutely delicious, and since coming back to New York I’ve been on a mission to get my hands on as much as possible.
I love Lambruso so much. Me and my friend slam liters of it every friday and sat night for fun. Its so cheap and it does the job it also makes your poop black.