Happy World Lambrusco Day! Here to celebrate, we offer our 10 favorite Lambrusco facts:
- Lambrusco is not only the name of the wine, but also the grape it’s made from
- Lambrusco has come a very long way from the ice cube-wielding industrially produced cloyingly sweet plonk of the 70s and 80s
- There are 60 variations of the Lambrusco grape, none of which are clones, and all are native to Emilia-Romagna, of which 5 are most used to produce this wine
- Regarding the item above, not all Lambruscos are alike. Some are sweet, some are dry, some more structured, others more fruited, so keep an open mind with Lambrusco; not liking one bottle doesn’t define all bottlings out there – it’s very much a chameleon of a wine in this respect
- Lambrusco is meant for food, it is not produced to be a drinking wine or aperitif – however we’d be lying if we said we’d never enjoyed a bottle by itself….
- Lambrusco is meant to be an everyday drinker, due in part to the acidity in the wine and the lower alcohol content (8-12%)
- Speaking of acidity, that, and the wine’s bubbles make Lambrusco a perfect pairing for any charcuterie plate – slicing through the rich fats of the meats with precision
- Lambrusco was written of by one of our favorite go-tos when referencing the antiquitus nature of European grape ages, Pliny the Elder
- Speaking to the above fact, Lambrusco has been harvested and fermented for many millennia before the first Cabernet Sauvignon was vinified
- While not common, Lambrusco can be found in white and Rosé stylings too
Now go grab a bottle (or two), cheers!