red grape · regional staple
Lambrusco di Sorbara
Sorbara, Bomporto, Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Say it
lahm·broo·skohdeesohr·bah·rah
'Sorbara' rhymes with 'Barbara'; final 'o' in Lambrusco is fully pronounced, not reduced
On the palate
raspberrystrawberryred cherryvioletrosecranberry
How you spot it blind: palest, most floral Lambrusco; partial pollen sterility curbs yield and deepens acidity
The story
First written down · 1693, Sorbara, Modena (ducal cellar records)
Wild lambrusche from the Sorbara locality were recorded in Modena ducal cellar accounts in 1693; a 21st-century genetic study confirmed admixed ancestry between cultivated Vitis vinifera and wild vines, consistent with ancient domestication from local wild stock.
Where it lives
Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Shows up as
sparklingroséLambrusco di Sorbara DOC