Cantina Puianello -- Lambrusco Ancestrale Rosé

I love to keep y’all guessing, so it’s a wonder I didn’t give you a Lambrusco until now. Emilia-Romagna is the breadbasket of Italy — Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Balsamic vinegar of Modena all hail from this fertile North-Central region – they clearly know flavor. So why isn’t the wine that comes exclusively from these hills more famous?! Sadly, Lambrusco suffered a similar fate as Riesling and Rosé: in the 1970s and 80s the U.S. was flooded with sweet, fizzy, overly carbonated bottles that gave the category a bad name. But done right, it is fresh, versatile, and surprisingly sophisticated. Cantina Puianello, a co-op founded in 1938 by five families, has stayed true to single-vineyard, single-varietal wines that reflect the hills, the grapes, and the people behind them.

Grapes: Lambrusco Montericco 100%

Region: Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Good To Know: Zero synthetics, hand harvested, Ancestrale pet-nat style: 2nd fermentation happens inside bottle and, after 10-12 month aging, is never disgorged – unfined/unfiltered