Lambrusco

For the Tuscan wine grape also known as Lambrusco, see Colorino. For another Tuscan wine grape that is also known as Lambrusco, see Abrusco.

A glass of Lambrusco (Grasparossa version)

Lambrusco (/læmˈbrʊskoʊ/, Italian: [lamˈbrusko]) is the name of both an Italian red wine grape and a wine made principally from said grape. The grapes and the wine originate from four zones in Emilia-Romagna and one in Lombardy―principally around the central provinces of Modena, Parma, Reggio-Emilia, and Mantua. The grape has a long winemaking history, with archaeological evidence indicating that the Etruscans cultivated the vine.[1] In Roman times Lambrusco was highly valued for its productivity and high yields, with Cato the Elder stating that produce of two-thirds of an acre could make enough wine to fill 300 amphoras.[2]

The most highly rated of its wines are the frizzante (slightly sparkling) red wines, designed to be drunk young, from one of the eight Lambrusco denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) regions: Colli di Parma Lambrusco, Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro, Lambrusco di Sorbara, Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, Reggiano Lambrusco, Colli di Scandiano e Canossa Lambrusco, Modena Lambrusco, and Lambrusco Mantovano. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s sweet Lambrusco was the biggest selling import wine in the United States.[3] During that time the wine was also produced in a white and rosé style made by limiting the skin contact with the must.[1]

  1. ^ a b J. Robinson Vines, Grapes & Wines pg 212 Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1-85732-999-6
  2. ^ J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 388-389 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0-19-860990-6
  3. ^ M. Ewing-Mulligan & E. McCarthy Italian Wines for Dummies pg 101-103 Hungry Minds 2001 ISBN 0-7645-5355-0