Italy's best-kept secret is dry Lambrusco. Sweet Lambrusco is well-known in America thanks to the extraordinary sales of a nondescript wine called Riunite. It's one of the world's biggest wine brands.

But there's another world of Lambrusco to be discovered: the intensely flavored dry Lambrusco, which is simply one of the most invigorating, palate-pleasing red wines you can taste. This sort of Lambrusco is virtually unknown outside its local area of production in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, which encircles the cities of Bologna and Modena.

There, locals visit small growers who bottle the Lambrusco wines in dark, heavy bottles. These bottles are secured like champagne, with knobby corks held down by the wire cages. That's because Lambrusco is a fizzy red wine. It's not as effervescent as Champagne, but enough to make a froth when first poured into your glass. Then it settles down quickly, leaving a creamy, slightly prickly sensation on your tongue as you drink it.

This Lambrusco, brand-named Concerto, is the kind that I've otherwise found only in the area of production. The shipper had a clear model in mind: not the commenly seen sort, but a Lambrusco like the original artisinal version.

This is the real thing, a deep red, slightly fizzy wine invigorated by Lambrusco's characteristic high acidity and balanced not by added sweetnes but by a rich fruitiness. It should be served cool (though not cold) in order to preserve its spritzing bubbles. Worth noting also is the packaging, which is as elegantly curvaceous as a bowling pin.
This is distinctive, authentic Lambrusco intended to go with foods for which it was created, such as rich pasta dishes (especially cheesy, creamy ones), veal (sweetbreads would be ideal) or many pork and chicken dishes. Or you could serve it, as the locals do, while nibbling on room-temperature chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese".

~ Matt Kramer, Los Angeles Times, 1996