Lambrusco and Emilian Wine in the Kitchen

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Lambrusco — the sparkling red (and sometimes rosé) wine of Emilia-Romagna — is far more than a beverage in the Emilian kitchen. It is a cooking ingredient, a cultural institution, and the indispensable partner to the region's rich, fatty cuisine. There are several distinct Lambrusco DOCs: Lambrusco di Sorbara (the driest, most elegant, from Modena), Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro (the fullest, darkest, from the Modena hills), Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce (medium-bodied, from the plain), and Lambrusco Reggiano (from Reggio Emilia). Each has a different character, but all share the characteristic slight fizz (frizzante), moderate alcohol, and crucial acidity that makes Lambrusco the perfect counterpoint to Emilian richness. In the kitchen, Lambrusco serves multiple roles: it deglazes pans after browning meat for ragù and brasato, it moistens the stracotto filling for anolini, it washes the culatello before ageing, and it is the wine in which garlic is steeped for salame felino. Its slight sweetness and acidity balance fatty, rich preparations in a way that a tannic Barolo or a sharp Chianti cannot. The sommeliers' rediscovery of artisanal Lambrusco (particularly metodo ancestrale — bottle-fermented versions with natural fizz) has elevated this wine from its 1970s reputation as cheap, sweet fizz to its rightful place as one of Italy's most food-friendly wines. The rule in Emilia-Romagna is simple: if it's too rich to drink water with, drink Lambrusco.

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