Lambrusco
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Photo Credit: Marco Carboni
Kevin and I went to Dino's Grotto in Shaw for dinner last Friday night, and I got to try something I had never heard of before - sparkling red wine! It's called Lambrusco, and it was so weird and good. I really liked it!
I had never heard of it, but apparently Lambrusco has developed a bit of a bad reputation - Dino's Grotto writes on their website:
"No other wine has been so bastardized as Lambrusco...Real Lambrusco is made from any of the family of Lambrusco grapes such as Grasparossa, Sobrara & Salamino, + other grapes like Lancellotta. Real Lambrusco is dry to off dry, 11% alcohol; tart & lively. Lambrusco is a refreshing sparkling red, perfect w/rich antipasti & pasta; & the best wine for cheese & cured meats Listed from assertively dry to soft & off dry to sweet-ish"
Not quite understanding what they meant by "bastardized", I wanted to learn a bit more about this type of wine. I came across an article from Serious Eats, in which the author writes, "Like its compatriots Riesling and White "Cougar Juice" Zin, much modern Lambrusco has nothing to do with its '70s reputation of cheap, candy-sweet fizz."
Glad to know that "Cougar Juice" is apparently, a thing...
It would seem that the Lambrusco's reputation suffered at the hand of Riunite, and these ads from the 1970s and 1980s:
And my personal favorite:
But, Lambrusco must be having a comeback, as the New York Times, LA Times and Washington City Paper have all written about it in the past few years. That has got to be a good sign for this sparkling wine! See what I did there ;)
I'm definitely looking forward to incorporating more Lambrusco into my life this summer, and also potentially planning a "Black Tie and Barefoot" party (see 0:25 of "Anything Goes" TV ad ICYMI).