Drink a good Lambrusco before you die!
Why? Great people like Luciano Pavarotti, Enzo Ferrari, Federico Fellini, and Giorgio Armani were just about suckled on the stuff. Plus, drinking a good proper Lambrusco with a charcuterie platter is one of life’s heavenly yet simple pleasures.
Ten Second Summary
- What it is: Lambrusco is a fizzy red wine from Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. Not a style you see much of, which is a great shame because it can be delicious — especially with food.
- Tastes like: Red berries, violets, cherry, plum, a lively mousse, bright acidity, and often a refreshing bitter twist on the finish.
- Buying shortcut: Look for DOC Lambrusco — especially Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC, Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC, and Lambrusco Reggiano DOC — or go straight to the 10 best Lambrusco wines ↓
- Best with: Charcuterie, salami, mortadella, prosciutto, Parmigiano Reggiano, lasagna, Bolognese, pizza, and anything deliciously porky, salty, fatty, or cheesy.
- When to drink: Young, fresh, and slightly chilled. This is not usually a wine for the cellar — it is a wine for lunch, dinner, aperitivo, Sunday, Tuesday, or a cold sausage sandwich the morning after.
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| Charcuterie, cured meats, cheese and a glass or three of Lambrusco — one of life’s heavenly yet simple pleasures. Image © KCULP / stock.adobe.com |
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1. What is Lambrusco wine?
Lambrusco is a fizzy red wine from the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. Not a style you see much of, which is a great shame because it can be delicious — especially with food.
Drinking a good proper Lambrusco with some choice cold meats and a cheese spread is something everyone should do at least once in their lives and ideally on a regular basis — weekly has a nice ring to it.
Lambrusco hails from Emilia-Romagna and is an ideal companion to the fatty, pork-based diets common in this part of the country. The wine’s firm acidity, lively bubbles, and invigorating bitter twist on the finish help leave the palate feeling refreshed after a mouthful of fat-rich food.
In other words, this is not just “sparkling red wine” as a novelty. At its best, Lambrusco is one of the great food wines of Italy: joyful, refreshing, affordable, historically important, and far more serious than its old reputation suggests.
2. Why Lambrusco is bucket list worthy
Emilia-Romagna is far from a one-trick pony. If anything, it is a chronic, yet humble, overachiever.
At one extreme, it has given us the amazing, awe-inspiring luxury machines of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and Ducati. At the other, it has given us delicious, simple dietary staples like Parmesan cheese, prosciutto ham, balsamic vinegar, and Bolognese sauce.
The region is also home to the oldest continually operating university in the world — the University of Bologna, founded in 1088. It has produced plenty of pioneering, boundary-pushing people like Luciano Pavarotti, Enzo Ferrari, Federico Fellini, and Giorgio Armani. All these great people would have regularly imbibed Lambrusco to wash down the gastronomic delights of their region.
You might not be able to sing like Pavarotti, have the vision of Ferrari, make a film like Fellini, or have the refinement of Armani, but you can eat and drink like them — but maybe not to the extent of Pavarotti.
3. Lambrusco DOC vs IGT: why the label matters
Now, don’t just rush out and buy any old bottle of Lambrusco. Because there are Lambruscos and there are Lambruscos.
More specifically, there are Lambrusco IGTs — approach with caution — and Lambrusco DOCs — go for it.
DOC, if you are unfamiliar with the acronym, stands for Denomination of Controlled Origin, or Denominazione di Origine Controllata in Italian. It means where and how this wine is made is controlled to achieve a certain level of quality and style.
IGT, on the other hand, means Typical Geographical Indication, or Indicazione Geografica Tipica in Italian. It has much, much less regulation controlling the style and quality of the wine and often allows a percentage of non-Lambrusco varieties to be included.
As such, while there are some really good Lambrusco IGTs out there, it is often the DOC wines that best show what makes proper Lambrusco such a superb drink to consume with those lovely fat-laden foods.
As a simple buying rule: look for DOC on the label, then look for the style words. Secco means dry, semisecco or abboccato means off-dry, amabile means semi-sweet, and dolce means sweet.
4. How cheap sweet Lambrusco damaged the name
In the 70s and 80s, export markets, especially the USA, were flooded with a cheap, simple style of Lambrusco.
It was promoted primarily by behemoth producer Riunite, which heavily marketed its sweet, fizzy Lambrusco wine with catchy slogans — most famously, Riunite on ice, that’s nice!
While it was a hit for a decade or so, this oversaturation led to consumers feeling tired, fatigued, and hungover. A feeling that is still being felt today in some corners of the market — and to the detriment of high-quality DOC Lambrusco.
The locals in Emilia-Romagna, however, still adore this wine. For many, it is part of daily consumption — drunk with meals, as an aperitivo, or both. It’s obligatory at weekly Sunday lunch with the family, social outings, festivals, and celebrations.
With all this local consumption of Lambrusco DOC, there’s not always a great deal left to export, especially compared to other classic Italian wines, so good bottles can be hard to find in some markets.
But they are definitely worth pursuing. A good Lambrusco can elevate a meal to the next level. Interest in authentic DOC Lambrusco is growing as more and more people discover its bubbly deliciousness. Let’s keep this trend going so the selection of Lambruscos continues to grow in our local wine stores.
5. The three Lambrusco DOCs to know
There are several Lambrusco DOCs in total, but the three you’re most likely to find outside Emilia-Romagna are Lambrusco Reggiano DOC, Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC, and Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC.
Lambrusco Reggiano DOC
Of these, Lambrusco Reggiano DOC is the most common. It’s an approachable and easy-drinking wine, often made in semi-sweet and sweet styles, or amabile and dolce in Italian, respectively. Which style is usually indicated on the label.
The wine is characterized by its dark ruby red colour, ripe red fruit aromas such as plum and strawberry, medium body, soft tannins, and gentle acidity. The best examples, however, are not just sweet, simple, and cheerful. Dry Reggiano Lambrusco can be serious, savoury, food-friendly, and wonderfully refreshing.
Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC
Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC is generally considered the highest quality of the Lambrusco DOCs and is noted for its light colour, floral violet perfume, bright refreshing acidity, and vibrant red berry flavours.
The wine is usually dry or off-dry in style, often — but not always — noted on the label in Italian as secco or semisecco, respectively. These Lambruscos are mostly suited to being drunk young and slightly chilled, making them great aperitifs or accompaniments to lighter dishes.
But, saying that, thanks to their backbone of crisp acid and slightly bitter finish, they also do a great job alongside a plate of pork rind and beans. Yum!
Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC
In contrast, Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro is the darkest, fullest-bodied, most alcoholic, and most tannic of the Lambrusco DOCs — and is probably the closest Lambrusco gets to the sparkling Shiraz wines of Australia.
With its intense black cherry and dark berry aromas and rich fruity palate, this bold structured wine, often made with a hint of sweetness, is well suited to hearty dishes such as lasagna and Bolognese, and aged cheese, especially aged Parmigiano Reggiano drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar.
Being Australian bred, I’m quite partial to it the morning after with a cold sausage sandwich!
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| Lambrusco Grasparossa vineyard in Castelvetro di Modena — home to the darkest, fullest-bodied Lambrusco DOC style. Image © nimu1956 / iStock.com |
6. What to eat with Lambrusco wine
Lambrusco is one of the great wines for food because it has the magic trio: bubbles, acidity, and just enough bitterness or tannin to reset the palate.
That is why it works so well with the foods of Emilia-Romagna: mortadella, salami, prosciutto, culatello, Parmigiano Reggiano, tortellini, lasagna, tagliatelle al ragù, balsamic vinegar, and all those gloriously rich, salty, fatty, porky delights.
Lambrusco di Sorbara, with its pale colour, floral perfume, and crisp acidity, is the one to try with lighter antipasti, fried snacks, seafood, or as an aperitivo.
Lambrusco Reggiano is the versatile middle ground. It can do pizza, pasta, charcuterie, roast pork, hamburgers, and anything casual, salty, and delicious.
Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro is the boldest of the three. Pour it with lasagna, Bolognese, aged Parmigiano Reggiano, grilled sausages, smoked meats, barbecue, and, if you have any left in the fridge, the aforementioned cold sausage sandwich.
7. 10 best Lambrusco wines to try
Here are 10 Lambrusco wines worth hunting down, with at least three from each of the three key DOCs: Lambrusco Reggiano DOC, Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC, and Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC.
Click on the Wine-Searcher links below to find a bottle near you. As always, availability varies wildly by market, so if you see one of these good DOC Lambruscos, don’t overthink it. Buy it, chill it, and find some cured meat.
Lambrusco Reggiano DOC recommendations
1) Medici Ermete — Concerto Lambrusco Reggiano DOC
Medici Ermete’s Concerto is one of the modern benchmark wines for serious Lambrusco Reggiano. It is dry, fresh, lively, red-fruited, and beautifully balanced, with the structure and purity that make you realise Lambrusco is not merely a cheap sweet fizzy drink from the past.
This is a superb place to start if you want to taste what proper dry Lambrusco Reggiano can do: red berries, cherries, raspberries, bright acidity, and a clean, savoury finish that cries out for salami, mortadella, lasagna, or dim sum.
Find Medici Ermete Concerto Lambrusco Reggiano on Wine-Searcher
2) Lini 910 — Labrusca Rosso Lambrusco Reggiano DOC
Lini 910 is another historic name and a very useful bottle to know because it often captures the joyful, refreshing, everyday side of Lambrusco while still being made with proper intent.
Labrusca Rosso is bright, breezy, red-fruited, and versatile. It is the kind of Lambrusco you want on the table when there is pizza, pasta, grilled meat, salty snacks, or a dangerously large platter of cured pork in front of you.
Find Lini 910 Labrusca Rosso Lambrusco Reggiano on Wine-Searcher
3) Cantina Puianello — Pra di Bosso Lambrusco Reggiano DOC
Pra di Bosso is a useful Reggiano bottle to look for when you want a classic, accessible, food-friendly Lambrusco with a bit more local character than the generic sweet supermarket stuff.
Expect dark red fruit, violet notes, gentle fizz, and the sort of simple but deeply satisfying refreshment that makes Lambrusco so good at the table. This is not a wine for hushed reverence. It is a wine for drinking, eating, laughing, and then pouring another glass.
Find Cantina Puianello Pra di Bosso Lambrusco Reggiano on Wine-Searcher
Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC recommendations
4) Paltrinieri — Radice Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC
If Lambrusco di Sorbara is the refined, pale, floral, high-acid member of the family, Paltrinieri’s Radice is one of the wines that best explains why wine people get excited about it.
It is light in colour, fragrant, fresh, and racy, with red berries, citrus lift, flowers, and that bone-dry, palate-cleansing snap that makes it dangerously drinkable. This is Lambrusco as aperitif, lunch wine, picnic wine, and “why don’t more people drink this?” wine.
Find Paltrinieri Radice Lambrusco di Sorbara on Wine-Searcher
5) Paltrinieri — Leclisse Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC
Leclisse is another cracking Sorbara from Paltrinieri and a slightly different expression to Radice. It still gives you the pale colour, flowers, wild strawberry, and bright acidity that make Sorbara so compelling, but with a touch more polish and charm.
If someone still thinks Lambrusco is just sweet purple soda wine, pour them a glass of this. Slightly chilled, preferably with prosciutto, fried gnocco, or a bowl of salty snacks, it can be quietly revelatory.
Find Paltrinieri Leclisse Lambrusco di Sorbara on Wine-Searcher
6) Cleto Chiarli — Vecchia Modena Premium Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC
Cleto Chiarli is one of the great historic names of Lambrusco, and Vecchia Modena Premium is a highly useful bottle because it is both proper and relatively findable.
It shows the classic Sorbara personality: pale, fragrant, floral, brisk, and red-fruited, with the easy charm of a wine that belongs on the table rather than locked away in a cellar. Drink it young, fresh, and chilled.
Find Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena Premium Lambrusco di Sorbara on Wine-Searcher
7) Cantina della Volta — Rimosso Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC
Cantina della Volta is a good name to know if you want to see how elegant, precise, and almost Champagne-adjacent Lambrusco can become in the right hands.
Rimosso keeps the Sorbara brightness and drinkability, but with extra texture and finesse. It is fresh, savoury, lightly coloured, and seriously refreshing — the kind of Lambrusco that makes you want to plan lunch around the bottle.
Find Cantina della Volta Rimosso Lambrusco di Sorbara on Wine-Searcher
Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC recommendations
8) Cleto Chiarli — Vigneto Cialdini Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC
Vigneto Cialdini is one of the classic bottles to look for if you want to taste Lambrusco Grasparossa at a serious level. This is the dark, structured, full-fruited side of Lambrusco: black cherry, dark berries, purple froth, and enough tannin and acidity to stand up to proper food.
Pour it with lasagna, Bolognese, pizza, aged Parmigiano Reggiano, or grilled sausages. This is Lambrusco with shoulders.
Find Cleto Chiarli Vigneto Cialdini Lambrusco Grasparossa on Wine-Searcher
9) Villa di Corlo — Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC
Villa di Corlo is a strong name for anyone chasing the darker, richer, more tannic side of Lambrusco. This is the DOC where Lambrusco most clearly overlaps with the Australian love of sparkling red wine.
Expect depth of colour, black cherry, plum, dark berries, and enough freshness to stop the wine feeling heavy. It is tailor-made for rich, slow-cooked, cheese-laden, tomato-sauced food. Which is another way of saying: dinner.
Find Villa di Corlo Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro on Wine-Searcher
10) Fattoria Moretto — Monovitigno Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC
Fattoria Moretto’s Monovitigno is another excellent bottle for understanding the appeal of Grasparossa. It is deeper, darker, and more structured than Sorbara, but it should still feel lively and refreshing rather than heavy.
This is the Lambrusco to open when the food is rustic, rich, salty, and unapologetically Italian: ragù, aged cheese, roasted meats, balsamic-drizzled Parmigiano Reggiano, or anything involving pork and good judgement.
Find Fattoria Moretto Monovitigno Lambrusco Grasparossa on Wine-Searcher
8. Lambrusco wine FAQ
What kind of wine is Lambrusco?
Lambrusco is usually a fizzy red wine from Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. It can be dry, off-dry, semi-sweet, or sweet, but the best Lambrusco wine is often DOC, fresh, food-friendly, lightly sparkling, and served slightly chilled.
Is Lambrusco like Prosecco?
Lambrusco and Prosecco are both Italian sparkling wines, but they are very different. Prosecco is usually a white sparkling wine from north-eastern Italy, while Lambrusco is usually a red sparkling wine from Emilia-Romagna. Prosecco is often light, pear-scented, and easygoing; Lambrusco is more about red fruit, acidity, bubbles, and food.
Is Lambrusco considered a good wine?
Yes, proper DOC Lambrusco can be very good wine. Its reputation was damaged by cheap, sweet export versions in the 1970s and 1980s, but good Lambrusco di Sorbara, Lambrusco Reggiano, and Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro can be delicious, distinctive, and superb with food.
Is all Lambrusco sweet?
No. Lambrusco can be dry, off-dry, semi-sweet, or sweet. Look for the words secco for dry, semisecco or abboccato for off-dry, amabile for semi-sweet, and dolce for sweet.
Do you put Lambrusco in the fridge?
Yes. Lambrusco is best served slightly chilled. A good starting point is around 8–10°C for lighter styles such as Lambrusco di Sorbara, and around 10–12°C for darker, fuller styles such as Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro.
How should you drink Lambrusco?
Drink Lambrusco young, fresh, and slightly chilled. Use a normal white wine glass or universal wine glass rather than a narrow flute, especially for better DOC bottles. Most importantly, drink it with food: charcuterie, cheese, pizza, pasta, pork, lasagna, or anything salty and delicious.
Is Lambrusco full of sugar?
Not necessarily. Some cheap Lambrusco is sweet, and some good Lambrusco is intentionally semi-sweet or sweet because the sugar balances the wine’s high acidity. But many of the best modern examples are dry or off-dry.
Is Lambrusco high in calories?
Lambrusco is not usually especially high in alcohol, but calories depend on alcohol and sugar. A dry Lambrusco will generally be lower in sugar than an amabile or dolce Lambrusco. If calories matter, look for secco on the label.
Is Lambrusco a healthy red wine?
Lambrusco is still wine, so the sensible answer is moderation. It is a red wine and often lower in alcohol than many still reds, but that does not make it a health drink. Drink it for pleasure, with food, and in reasonable amounts.
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