Don Camillo Amabile Bianco

Lambrusco is the wild child of Italian wines, and like most wild things, it’s complicated. Starting with its name, which is derived from ancient Roman and translates as ‘wild vine,’ named because of its ability to grow anywhere and its high yields. But the Romans also applied the name to any grapevine that grew outside of cultivated vineyards, so many varieties selected to plant from ‘wild vines’ and bred further were named Lambrusco. This makes it neither a single grape variety nor a family of grape varieties, but a term used for countless arrays of grapes. The many vines bearing the name Lambrusco are mostly unrelated and adding to the mix, there are currently 60 identified as Lambrusco.

Lambrusco is an incredibly versatile food wine, but as with most wines from a specific region, “what grows together goes together”- Emilia-Romagna, the home of salami, prosciutto, mortadella, bresaola, tortellini, ravioli, cannelloni. Other matches are Strawberry Arugula Salad with Balsamico, grilled chicken, lamb, hamburgers, steak, Tokyo-style ramen, Asian orange chicken, General Tso’s chicken and Korean BBQ ribs. Cheese-wise try it with pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano, Grano Padano. It even complements hard to match dark chocolates.