Passionate About Restaurants

Lambrusco, A Sparkling Italian Alternative

By Elliot Ryan

As we roll into the early summer months, everyone can expect a range of social invitations: a weekend out of town at your friends beach place; your long lost high school pal in town from California; the birthday picnic in Central Park. What should you choose when picking a wine to commemorate any of these events? My call for this first stretch of summer is the fun Italian semi-sparkling red Lambrusco.

Some may remember Lambrusco, along with Soave and California "Chablis," as a schlock wine served with fondue in the 1970's and 80's, but this is no longer the case. Modern Lambrusco is fruity, slightly bubbly and usually made as red wine. Lambrusco descends from a wild vine, which the Romans found growing on the outskirts or edges ("Labrum") of the farmed fields ("Bruscum"), and is thought to be a favorite beverage of the great Roman statesman Cato. It is an extremely productive varietal and has no less than 60 subvarieties, which can make choosing your first Lambrusco a little confusing. In this case it's best to get a recommendation from a trusted local wine merchant or sommelier.

Proper Lambrusco goes through a secondary fermentation in the bottle, which results in frothy bubbles when consumed. It is meant to be drunk young and served at cellar temperatures. For that birthday picnic in Central Park, I'd suggest throwing it in the ice cooler for 10 minutes or so before serving. And although these wines have a lot fruit, they tend to be dry to off-dry and have a ton of acidity, which when combined with the bubbles, aides in the digestion of the hearty regional Italian fare they've traditionally accompanied.

I have fond memories drinking Lambrusco with my friends during the final stages of the 2006 World Cup. We'd set ourselves up in front of the TV with a spread of cold cuts, olives, panini and plenty of Lambrusco. I think that it's for this reason that I most often think of it as a daytime beverage. There's a better reason, however, for drinking Lambrusco during the day. That's because it tends to have slightly lower alcohol content than many still wines, which makes it better to drink in the sun during a day at the beach or at a picnic.

If you're looking to try a glass of this fun, lighthearted wine before bringing it along to your next summer engagement, there are numerous places where it is served. I love the somewhat secret Lower East Side Mangami for their authentic Italian fare, which complements Lambrusco well. Greenwich Village's Otto has a few on their extensive list. Even Momofuku Ko has been serving a lighter Champagne-style version as an early-course pairing on their tasting menu.

One of the best reasons to think of Lambrusco when dining out or chilling poolside is its price. It's simply hard to find a high priced offering. You can often find them from $10 to $25 at retail and $20 to $45 in many restaurants. But most of all, the easiest argument for ordering up a bottle or throwing it in your weekend bag is that it will stand out against the more common California Chardonnays and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs you'll find in the picnic cooler, which means you'll stand out as well!

Elliot Ryan is a freelance writer and oenophile living in NYC.

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