Lambrusco Spritz Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make Lambrusco taste better? ›

Here, grapefruit brightens and plays up the wine's light bitterness, while buttery green olives add a touch of earthy brine and serve as a welcome snack. Reach for a lighter, sweeter, more citrus-leaning amaro, to avoid masking the bubble's nuance.

Lambrusco is not a wine that ages particularly well, so it is best served fresh and cold – between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit – in a white wine glass. With its low ABV and high acidity, Lambrusco makes an incredibly versatile choice for food pairings.

Some historians believe Lambrusco grapes were the very first to be turned into wine in Italy. Grown in the Emilia-Romagna region, it's a family of grapes. By the end of the 1960s, the drink had spread in popularity to nearly every corner of the country.

That's three parts prosecco, two parts aperitif (like your Select or Aperol), and one part soda water. “ You can play around with this by keeping the structure the same, but replacing the ingredients,” Tonelli explains. “For example, add Lambrusco or hard apple cider instead of prosecco.”

Start with appetizers: cold cuts and sausages, including the famous prosciutto and mortadella, but also the Parmigiano-Reggiano DOC, considered the “king” of all cheeses. Followed by first courses, including the legendary tortellini in broth, but also other dry pasta stuffed or seasoned with meat sauce.

Lambrusco is available in dry (secco), semi-sweet (semisecco), and sweet (dulce) varieties. The best wines tend to be secco or semisecco, and cheaper, lower quality lambruscos are frequently overly sweet. Depending on the style, the flavor profile and characteristics like tannins, acidity, and color can vary.

With its low alcohol, lambrusco is like an adult soft drink. Slightly chilled, it is the perfect red wine to put a smile on your face after a bad day.

Because it's less effervescent and lower in alcohol content than its bubbly counterparts, Lambrusco is the perfect wine for day drinking. Its alcohol content ranges from 8 to 13 percent ABV, depending on the bottle. By comparison, most Prosecco and Champagne bottles have 12 to 13 percent ABV.

Lambrusco is best served chilled. The perfect temperature is around 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit, so pop it in the fridge for an hour or so, then take it out 15 minutes before serving. Unlike Prosecco or Champagne, Lambrusco is not traditionally served in a flute.

Like Champagne and other sparkling wines, Emilia-Romagna's bubbly red wine comes in various sweetness levels from dry (Secco, up to 15 g/L of residual sugar) to sweet (Dolce, more than 45 g/L of residual sugar). Serve slightly chilled, the beautifully versatile Lambrusco can be drunk throughout your entire meal.

Is Lambrusco the same as Prosecco? ›

Prosecco is a dry white, strongly sparkling wine (spumante) from Veneto usually served as aperitivo or with antipasto. Lambrusco is a dry or moderately sweet deep-red and moderately sparkling wine produced in Emilia and which is served with the whole meal. The two can't be compared.

Light red wine: Light reds such as Pinot Noir, Lambrusco, and Gamay last 2–3 days when corked and stored in a cool, dark place. Lighter reds have fewer tannins and lower alcohol content than other red wines, so they won't last quite as long.

Stick to a dry, low-tannin wine that has fruity notes for your wine spritzer. Some reliable options for wine spritzers are Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and dry Riesling wines. If you prefer a sweeter wine, like a Chardonnay, add some additional soda water to offset the sweetness of the wine.

Difference Between a Spritz and a Spritzer

A Spritz is a drink with at least three ingredients, one of which is an apéritif. They can be served over ice or at room temperature. A spritzer is specifically wine with soda water. It's usually served in a cold, tall glass.

Expect Lambrusco Salamino to be made in sweetest styles, including semisecco and and dolce to counterbalance its tannin – oddly enough, the sweetness makes it a great match for burgers. This variety can be found labeled as Reggiano Lambrusco Salamino and Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce.

You can also add a little fresh squeezed lime or lemon, or even a splash of lemonade if you like things sweet. A berry or cherry flavored sparkling water pairs with chilled red wine. You can mix sparkling wine with any kind of juice like orange, grapefruit, cranberry, lemonade, etc.

Combine red wine, orange juice, lime juice, and your choice of fruit with some condensed milk or sweetened cream. You can add a splash of dark rum or brandy to give it an extra kick. Before serving, you could add club soda or sparkling wine to make the sangria more bubbly.