Forget everything you think you know about Lambrusco. Everything except the phrase that famous Italian singer Luciano Ligabue sings in his hit “Lambrusco & Popcorn” from 1991, where he says, “Come here, there’s a glass from the vineyard.” Because this is the essence of Lambrusco or, rather, of the Lambruscos, as there are eight DOCs that comprise the mosaic of vineyards enclosed in the area between the provinces of Modena, Reggio Emilia and Parma, plus the Lombard city Mantua.

Today more than ever Lambrusco represents the roots of Italianness, and not just for its steady leadership at the top of Italians’ preferences among supermarket shelves and second place in exports, but because it has known how to reinvent itself in the best Italian style, thanks to producers who have interpreted traditions in a modern way to satisfy the tastes of the younger generation. In recent decades this has become a significant trend for wine enthusiasts.