“Good Lambruscos are almost always going to be in the $20 to $30 range,” Keith Beavers, wine professional and VinePair columnist, says as I set up a Lambrusco blind tasting. He’s right. Our panel immediately pans three cloying, $11-ish bottles in rapid succession.

Beavers’ wisdom goes against persistent misconceptions about Lambrusco, the sparkling red wine from Emilia Romagna, Italy. Many Americans associate Lambrusco with inexpensive, teeth-achingly sweet juice made famous by the brand Riunite in the 1970s and 1980s. (According to the American Association of Wine Economists, in 1981, America’s top three imported wines were all Lambruscos, with Ruinite in the No. 1 spot.) Riunite Lambrusco currently retails from $7.50.