Lambrusco

Lambrusco is a lightly sparkling (frizzante) red wine from the Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy regions of northern Italy, made from an indigenous family of Lambrusco grapes around Modena, Reggio Emilia, Parma and Mantua. It is purple to ruby in the glass, foams with a pink-tinged head, and runs the full sweetness range from bone-dry (secco) through off-dry (amabile) to sweet (dolce). At its best it is a fresh, low-alcohol, berry-scented red with bright acidity and a gentle fizz — built above all to cut through the rich pork, cured meats and aged cheese of its home table. Long dismissed abroad as the sugary fizz of 1970s exports, dry Lambrusco has been rediscovered as one of Italy's great food wines.