Along with Chianti and Soave, Lambrusco is easily one of Italy’s most misunderstood wines. In the 1970s, a deluge of sweet, unbalanced, soda-like Lambrusco flooded the American market and the wine’s reputation has yet to recover. At its best though, Lambrusco can be an immensely delicious and affordable dry sparkling wine. While enjoyable on its own as a refreshing beverage on a hot summer day, Lambrusco’s versatility with food is what makes it a world-class wine. From salumi to pizza to pasta, the gastronomic joy Lambrusco brings will make you wish you had discovered it sooner. While it may be easy to fall in love with Lambrusco, understanding it can be quite a challenge. Lambrusco is the name of a wine and a family of grapes grown around Modena in Emilia-Romagna, and this trio presents the three most common varieties and explains what makes each one distinctive.

Sorbara is the lightest Lambrusco in both color and concentration. Known for its pale pink hue, floral aromatics, and racy acidity, Sorbara drinks like a very dry sparkling rosé. Founded in 1926, Paltrinieri was the first winery to bottle a mono-varietal Sorbara. Hand-harvested from a single vineyard called Il Cristo, Leclisse is Paltrinieri’s flagship wine and an absolute benchmark for what Lambrusco di Sorbara can achieve.

Medici Ermete was founded in 1890 and remains a family-owned winery to this day. Arte e Concerto is their finest wine and it is made exclusively with the Lambrusco Salamino varietal. As you might guess, Salamino is named after salame because the two are so commonly enjoyed together. Characterized by a brilliant ruby color and juicy red berry flavors, Salamino’s fresh fruit is perfectly balanced by its bubbles and acidity.

Arguably the most prominent type of Lambrusco, Grasparossa di Castelvetro is prized for its inky purple color and tremendous concentration. Massive fruit is balanced not only by bubbles and acidity, but also by ripe tannins that allow Grasparossa to stand up to richer fare like pasta with ragù. Since 1860, Cleto Chiarli has been one of the best proponents of Grasparossa and there may be no better example than their single vineyard bottling, Vigneto Cialdini.