Happy Lambrusco Day!

Lambrusco is the name of both the grape and the wine. It’s a red Italian wine that is grown in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. You may have heard it said that this is the region that has the best food in Italy (but who can really say this about one region over another?). Bologna is the capital and that’s a city world-renowned for food.

The Lambrusco grape is grown in the provinces near Modena, Parma Reggio nell’Emilia and Mantua. It’s a basic table wine, considered by many wine snobs to be a simple man’s wine and not worth discussing on the serious wine circuit. But recently it’s become fashionable for precisely that reason with anti-wine snobs celebrating it’s merits.

Italians cherish this wine and, for that reason, I like to think of it as our little secret. Let the wine snobs turn their noses down at it, but Lambrusco is a lovely, frizzy wine with a light, berry flavor and it pairs well with many summer dishes. Though, in Italy, it’s interesting to note that most Lambrusco is dry, not sweet, like its U.S. cousin.

Lambrusco doesn’t age well, another reason why it may not be a key choice for the wine elite, but popular among young wine drinkers who like that it’s affordable. It’s a refreshing alternative to beer on a hot summer night and goes exceedingly well with most meals from the grill, including hot dogs and hamburgers, surprisingly.

If you want Lambrusco, you’ll probably have to look for it on the bottom shelf in the Italian red wine section of your local supermarket or wine shop. One of the major producers is the Italian label Riunite. Bottles can start for as little as $5.99. And, please remember that, although today is “Lambrusco Day,” it’s also the kick-off to “Lambrusco Summer” so stock up!

You can read more about Lambrusco Day on the website at http://www.lambruscoday.org/