Lambrusco is becoming trendy again but not the supermarket variety. Genuine Lambrusco at 11 percent plus in alcohol is now appearing in "classy" restaurants in the UK after becoming fashionable in the US.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/11012880/Wine-Review-Lambrusco-on-the-rise.html
The good stuff is £14 a bottle but it is probably marked up by 200 to 300% or more in the "classier" restaurants.
Come off it, it is fizzy red wine and it is a triviality. I have also tasted fizzy Shiraz from Australia. What have fizzy Shiraz and fizzy Lambrusco got in common - well you have guessed it varietal labelling. I am wary of any trendy comeback wine that has varietal labelling. Alsace wines have varietal labelling but they are not trendy but Alsace produces some of the finest wines which easily compete for quality with Bordeaux and Burgundy. Lambrusco is not in the Alsace league and never will be.
The best place to sample Lambrusco is in Italy where it belongs to the sunny climate and goes with light food and it is best knocked back there. The Italians have a sunny disposition because of their climate and a red effervescent wine goes well with that; three cheers for the Italians who drink it in their garden on a sunny afternoon.
Red effervescent wines do not suit the climate in London even in an Italian restaurant. You are better off sticking to Chianti, Valpolicella or a nice Sicilian red. If you drink Lambrusco for reasons of fashion only then you deserve to be charged high prices for an ordinary quality wine
Fizzy Shiraz should be left in the bottle to age for a hundred years or so and should not be inflicted on the drinking public.
I am not prepared to give Lambrusco a second chance; just leave it off my menu. Please drink it in the privacy of your own home or in Italy where it belongs. Just like Retsina which belongs in Greece it should stay at home.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/apr/05/lambrusco-uk-wine-review-fiona-beckett
Lambrusco does not go with char-grilled squid.
Fortunately, just like all fashion it will become a passing trend. The wine "fashionistas" will then come down earth for a little while but I am eagerly awaiting a seconding coming for Retsina - like hell.
You can buy a bottle of Champagne in Lidl for £11 and it goes much better with squid.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/lambrusco-is-back-on-the-menu-9634150.html
