lambrusco

Italian; wine with low alcohol content, lightly sparkling or frizzante, made from the lambrusco variety of grape.

[lam-BROOS-koh] An Italian wine that comes in three versions-red, white and rosé. The style best known by Americans is the pale red, semisweet, slightly effervescent Lambrusco. All three variations are made in both semisweet and dry styles, the latter being preferred in Italy. Lambrusco wines are not known for their aging capabilities and should be drunk young.

[lam-BROOS-koh] A red-wine grape that is grown all over Italy, primarily in the emilia-romagna region. The Lambrusco variety has over sixty subvarieties scattered throughout Italy, the most significant being Lambrusco Grasparossa, Lambrusco Maestri, Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Montericco, Lambrusco Salamino, and Lambrusco di Sorbara. There are a number of Lambrusco wines with doc status including Lambrusco di Sorbara, Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro, Lambrusco Mantovano, Lambrusco Reggiano, and Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce. The best of these wines are from the Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC, which come from acreage surrounding the village of Sorbara, believed to be Lambrusco's birthplace. Lambrusco is probably best known, at least by Americans, for the non-DOC, pale red, semisweet, slightly effervescent (frizzante) wines. It's also made in white (where the skins are quickly separated from the juice) and rosé versions. All three variations are made in two styles-semisweet and dry, the latter preferred in Italy. Lambrusco wines are not known for their aging capabilities and should be drunk young. This variety is unrelated to the North American vine species vitis labrusca.