"sometimes the spaghetti likes to be alone"
or "give 'em what they want"

Big Night (1996)
The following website links tell the 'evolution' of True Lambrusco in the USA. Additional comments, anecdotes and pictures about our "Lambrusco Rehabilitation" tastings conducted all over the USA from 1995 through 2010 will be added - eventually. 
(A  work in progress.  Last revised & updated: February 20th, 2012.)

The Rehabilitation of Lambrusco,
the Wine with the World's worst Reputation.
1995-2011

Picture
The Answer
By 1983 Lambrusco, a true Italian original, had gone through a total makeover:

A classic DRY, lightly sparkling Italian RED wine had been turned into a super-sweet, super-fizzy WHITE (and red) wine for the US wine market. 

(FYI: 'White (bianco) Lambrusco' is as much a Lambrusco as 'White Zinfandel' is Zinfandel. White/bianco Lambrusco is neither served in restaurants nor consumed at home in the area of production. Emilians serve dry Trebbiano Frizzante, dry Spergola Frizzante, dry Malvasia Frizzante, dry Ortrugo Frizzante, or dry Pignoletto Frizzante (locals refer to all of these fizzy whites as  'prosecco' - even though real prosecco is made from Glera and produced in the Veneto) if they want to enjoy a 'fizzy' home-grown white wine.)

The Lambrusco boom which had started in 1968 (see: 1968-1985) ended abruptly for various reasons (see: Austrian wine scandal) in 1985. As a result, Lambrusco was being 'replaced' by 'White Zinfandel' and 'White Wine Coolers' (see: 1985-1995). The Lambrusco bust had a devastating effect on the entire region of Emilia.

In 1985 Nicolas Belfrage publishes "Life beyond Lambrusco". 

But ten years later (1995), the very first 50 cases of real (RED, DOC, single vineyard, cork-finished, secco, frizzante (slightly fizzy), top-quality, limited production: 10,000 bottles) Lambrusco are imported into California and sold to two top restaurants in San Francisco (L'Osteria del Forno and Rose Pistola) and a private clientele in Los Angeles.

The following year (1996) our True Lambrusco is poured at the first NY restaurant (Felidia). Many more top NY restaurants will follow over the next 6 years exclusively accomplished through marketing strategies developed by a small California specialty importer. 

Matt Kramer was the very first wine writer to recognize the pleasures of true Lambrusco and to actually write about it. In 1996 he published the first ever great review about the first True Lambrusco available in Italy and the USA in the Los Angeles Times (see: 1996). - Still, not a single restaurateur in Los Angeles was willing to give authentic Lambrusco a chance.

A Los Angeles wine buyer for an up-scale grocery chain told us once: "I need real Lambrusco as much as I need a hole in my head." And at one of our many "Lambrusco Resurrection Tastings" (New York, 1998) throughout the country we were told by a one of the largest US importers of Italian wine to see 'Big Night'* (1996): "It would help us to understand why genuine Lambruscos will never 'make it' in this country."

"Lambrusco? Thanks, but no thanks!" was the standard response from every US retailer, sommelier, importer, wholesaler, distributor, and wine writer throughout the USA for the next 10 years (see 2004: "...calls to many of the better wine retailers in and around Manhattan [to find a respectable bottle of Lambrusco] produced little more than giggles...." - Eric Asimov, New York Times).

In 1998 we're introducing Italy's first quality dry Lambrusco at symposiums sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission in Seattle, Chicago and New York. This event was moderated by Burton Anderson. Twenty of the 21 participating US importers featured wines like Amarone, Brunello, Barolo, and Super Tuscans --- ours was a DRY Lambrusco. 

Against all odds (though we knew), our True Lambrusco becomes 'famous' in NY and SF. A website devoted exclusively to the subject 'Lambrusco' (www.VinoFrizzante.com; now forwarded to our 'pronto lambrusco' website) was up and and running. Our 'True Lambrusco' promotions via countless tastings throughout the USA (Boston, Aspen, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, etc.) were starting to pay off.

By 2005 our 'dry fizzy red' had been placed on wine lists of the most important restaurants in New York and San Francisco.

Nobody had thought that this was going to be possible. No another US wine importer - not even the producer of this Lambrusco.

Yet as a result - starting in 2006 - more and more authentic (and also more industrial) Lambruscos are finding US importers and their way into New York and the USA, thereby helping further to re-build the market for Lambrusco. 

At last, in 2006, Eric Asimov (NY Times) and Jon Bonné (SF Chronicle) publish two excellent articles on True Lambrusco (see: 2006) and finally starting in 2009/2010 other food and wine writers (see WSJ's story in 2010) and wine bloggers are beginning to take a closer look at True Lambrusco - one of the most enjoyable classic Italian RED wines and a world original.

Yes..., in 2009 Riunite USA (Villa Banfi) adds TWO DRY (!) Lambruscos (listen here) to their portfolio (....with less fizz!!!)

Lambrusco's image had been rehabilitated by 2010 after it had been known as "the wine with the world's worst reputation" for 25 years. (One unfortunate side effect: The industrial 'cheap & sweet/dolce (8% alcohol)' "stuff" is also now being pushed as 'real' Lambrusco.) 

All of this had been started and accomplished not by a major PR agency with a multimillion dollar advertising budget or the largest US importer of commercial Lambrusco or any Italian Consorzio, but by three guys from California (Alvaro Cardenas, Jim Kennedy, James Koch) who had made it their mission to exclusively import authentic, unrated** Italian wines in 1991 (www.Vinissimo.com).

Today, it's possible to say, without 'giggles': 

Here's to one of Italy's greatest red wines!  Here's to 'secco & red' Lambrusco  from Emilia!

And after many, many trips to Emilia Romagna and 15 years of 'Lambrusco research' (1995-2010) we're now importing Pronto, a TRULY artisanal, real, top-quality, authentic, non-pasteurized, estate-bottled, DRY Italian red Lambrusco and continue to share our love of REAL Lambrusco via the ReThinkLambrusco.org website.

Here's to Pronto!

* BTW, besides seeing the movie for "the answer", 'Big Night' is really, really, really a wonderful movie to watch!
** Our 'True Lambrusco' was the first Lambrusco ever to receive Gambero Rosso's Tre Bicchieri more than once.
Picture
Castelvetro di Modena, home of Lambrusco-Grasparossa di Castelvetro (November 2010)
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Ristorante La Grattugia, Monteccio Emilia. Lots of great lambruscos. None bianco/white.
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Parmigiano-Reggiano Museum housed in the historical XVIII century cheese plant. For more info, visit http://www.museidelcibo.it
Authentic Lambrusco (the wine) is a  lightly fizzy (frizzante) Italian RED WINE made from at least 85% Lambrusco (grapes) with a MINIMUM of 10.5% alcohol. Every (frizzante) Lambrusco is a 'Vino Frizzante' but not all 'fizzy' wines are Lambruscos: A frizzante wine made from less than 85% lambrusco (grapes: salamino, marani, sorbara, grasparossa, maestri, montericco, etc.) is a 'vino frizzante' but not a Lambrusco (wine). Ancellotta (Lancellotta), Marzemino, Malbo Gentile, Croatina, etc. are traditional blending grapes (max. 15%), not Lambrusco varieties.

1968 - 1982

Riunite, Cella, Bolla, Zonin, Giacobazzi
Tom Abruzzini: "Riunite on ice, that's nice! That's my jingle."

Moscadello vs Brunello

LAMBRUSCO RATES HIGH WITH U.S. CONSUMERS

By TERRY ROBARDS (The New York Times)
"The American consumer's infatuation with lambrusco is turning into a full-blown love affair. Millions upon millions of bottles of the semisweet, lightly effervescent wine from Italy are consumed in this country annually, and the volume keeps rising in quantum jumps. A compilation of the best-selling imported wines in the United States shows that five of the top six brands in 1981 were in the lambrusco category. These were Riunite, Cella, Bolla, Zonin and Giacobazzi, ranking first, second, third, fifth and sixth, respectively. The fourth-biggest seller, also from Italy, was Folonari, the consumer's favorite Soave." - The New York Times (1982)

1983
What ever happened to Boone's Farm?

"...IMPORTS ACCOUNT for approximately 24 percent of all wine going into the ships, and in spite of the bewildering array of wine types, vintages and labels, it's the brand names that do the best. Ten brands, in fact, accounted for 54 per4cent of the entire imported wine market last year. Wine people are adventurous, but not that adventurous.
    If you are a newcomer to wine, you may well recognize some of the top 10. They are, several of them, wines made to appeal to people who very recently thought they didn't like wine. In other words, lambrusco.
     Still at the head of list and easily outdistancing all competition is Riunite, one of the marketing phenomena of our time. It is a fresh sweet wine with an artificially induced fizz [*] - like ginger ales - and the 11 million cases of it that moved into the American market last year represented an increase of 6 percent. In second place was Cella, another lambrusco producers, which moved 2.9 million cases, a 4 percent boost over 1981.
    THE REST of the 1982 top 10 imports, in descending order, were Folonari, Bolla, Zonin, Giacobazzi, Blue Nun, Mateus, Cnaei and Yago. Blue Nun is Liebfraumilch from Germany, Mateus exports mostly pink wine from Portugal, and Yago is a sangria from Spain.
    In spite of all the articles on fine wines and the mystique surrounding them, the consumer prefers a familiar name and an uncomplicated product. What's more, brand loyalty, or at least quality loyalty, seems to exist. Conventional wisdom has long held that the fickle consumer cuts his or her teeth on these popular wines, then moves on to something more sophisticated.
    In fact, several once-popular wines in this group have all but disappeared. Who now remembers Boone's Farm apple wine - except for the Gallo marketers who rode it up to success? Who remembers the first of the big "pop" wines, cold duck - a strange amalgam of sugar and carbonated red or white or pink wine?
    THOSE WINES had their day and faded. Many industry observes predicted the same for Portuguese rose, Blue Nun and sangria, which is actually a mixture of wine and fruit juice. These three have hung on in the top 10, although their sales have slipped seriously in recent years.
    The third- and fourth-ranking wine names last year were Folonari and Bolla, with 1.7 and 1.6 million cases, respectively. What makes the popularity of these wines interesting is the act that they are not lambruscos, but umbrella names for groups of what are called Veronese wines, inexpensive dry reds and whites from northern Italy. These are the wines that, in many instances, have replaced traditional California jug wines for parties and large dinners. They are fresh and light, while many California jug wines seem heavy and sweet."

    -- Frank J. Prial, NY Times News Service (Feb 27, 1983) | [*] Artificial carbonation is no longer allowed by law. |
Google Newspaper Archives

1994
Anything Fizzy. Anything Sweet.

"It is said that we Americans will drink anything that's cold, fizzy and sweet, and a long line of successful drinks -- cold duck, Lambrusco, wine coolers and white zinfandel -- attests to that. So do the inexpensive sparkling wines that sell well: domestic versions like Andre, Totts and Taylor New York State, and a host of imports like German sekt and Italy's Asti Spumante."

- Wine Talk by Frank J. Prial, December 28th, 1994 (The NY Times)

1985
The "End" of the Boom

Google Newspaper Archives: The Austrian Wine Scandal

1986 - 1994
The 'Wine Cooler' & 'White Zinfandel' Decade

"Many novelties and fads have excited the market since the 1970s: Cold Duck, the various pop wines and mod wines, Lambrusco, wine coolers, white Zinfandel, and most recently, low-alcohol wines flavored with fruit juices and sold as varietal wines. Some of these - Cold Duck, for example - have faded into oblivion.

Wine coolers were a different story. Compounded of artificial fruit flavors, water, carbon dioxide, and wine at less then 7 percent alcohol, the coolers came on the market in a small way about 1981. By 1984 nearly 37 million gallons were being shipped annually; by the end of the decade it was 90 million. Soon the market was crowded with competing coolers jostling for shelf space: Vino Coolada, Sausalito Sling, and Calvin Cooler were among the sixty-plus on the market by 1985. The parade was led, soon after its introduction, by Gallo's Bartles and James brand. The vogue for coolers then began to fade, and as it did so the manufacturers increasingly switched from a basis of cheap wine to even cheaper malt liquor, which could be flavored just as readily. The coolers are still around, but they are not wine coolers.

White Zinfandel, introduced about 1975, seems to have some irresistible advantages going for it from the standpoint of the producer. It is made from grapes not yet fully ripe, so that one need not be anxious about proper maturity and thus can use fruit from the Central Valley, which is abundant and inexpensive. It is regularly doctored with inexpensive concentrate to sweeten it, and a little gas may be added as well. It requires no aging, so that it may be moved to the market almost at once. Finally, Americans love it. White Zinfandel has effectively killed the domestic production of other rose wines; it shows few signs of losing popularity, and it may prove to be that long-sought-after commercial ideal, the wine equivalent of the American soft drink. The fact that only Americans drink it seems to confirm that idea." 

- A History of Wine in America, Thomas Pinney, 2005

1995
"Judgement of Verona"
(The 1995 Vinitaly Tasting)

Picture
No online stories.

The first dry, limited production, cru Lambrusco (vintage 1994) is imported into the USA. Interesting to note that the producer didn't believe that we would ever be able to sell a single bottle of this wine in the USA, nor able to change the image of Lambrusco. Yet, 15 years later, this very Lambrusco is awarded the highest points, 'Tre Bicchieri', by Gambero Rosso, the leading Italian wine guide. As a matter of fact, we predicted that Gambero Rosso would reward this Lambrusco 'Tre Bicchieri' once this guide would stop 'grape discrimination'.  It was the first time any lambrusco had ever received this type of recognition (more to come.)

The first dry, authentic, quality Lambrusco is being imported into the USA and distributed in CA (1995) and NY (1996).
Notes: L'Osteria del Forno in San Francisco features the first real, dry lambrusco in the entire USA in 1995.
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Living room furniture nailed to the ceiling at Pizzeria Roba da Matti (Scandiano).
True Lambrusco Pioneers 
Dan Perlman (NY sommelier), Richard Luftig (NY sommelier), Floribeth Schumacher (SF retailer), Felidia (NY restaurant), Cinqueterre (former NY restaurant), L'Osteria del Forno (SF restaurant), Matt Kramer (US based wine writer), Kyle Phillips (Italian based wine writer)
A Note from Dan Perlman
(01/20/2011): 
"Thanks for the mention - who knew I'd turn out to be a pioneer in anything? Simply loved the Concerto when the '94 was first released and carried it on through the '95 and '96 while I was at Felidia, and then I gather Richard continued to carry the wine after he took over as sommelier in the late '97. As I recall, it was a bit of a battle to put it on the list, no one in management or ownership thought we'd be able to sell it. But, we did. (Of course, there was the occasional bottle sent back because it wasn't cold, sweet and fizzy.....).

1996
First Review of a Real Lambrusco

No online stories.

Matt Kramer is amazed by the very first dry Lambrusco ever imported into the USA and reviews it in the Los Angeles Times on October 3rd, 1996:

"Italy's best-kept wine 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 wire cages. That's because traditional 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...is the kind of Lambrusco that I've otherwise found only in the area of production. The shipper [JK Imports] had a clear model in mind: not the commonly seen sort of Lambrusco, but one like the original artisanal version.

This is the real thing, a deep red, slightly fizzy wine invigorated by Lambrusco's characteristic high acidity (the better to knife through Emilia-Romagna's famously rich cuisine) and balanced not by added sweetness but by a rich fruitiness. It should be served cool (though not cold) in order to preserve its spritzing bubbles. Worth noting 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, LA Times, 1996
Notes: It speaks very highly of Matt Kramer to have written about a wine that nobody wanted to even "touch" at that time. He is the first wine writer who not only recognized the quality of a dry, authentic lambrusco immediately but also had the guts to write about it in the Los Angeles Times.

Felidia, Lidia Bastianich's first NY restaurant, adds a Lambrusco to the wine list - thanks to Felidia's sommeliers Dan Perlman and Richard Luftig. A first for any East coast restaurant.

1997
First major online Lambrusco article

No online stories.

Lambrusco: A Vastly Underrated Wine (Kyle Phillips | March 27th)
Notes: Kyle Phillips continues to follow and write about Lambrusco on about and italianwinereview. 

1998
On the road: Italy's first quality dry Lambrusco

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Burton Anderson
No online stories.

We are taking Italy's first quality dry Lambrusco to Seattle, Chicago and New York:

"The Italian Trade Commission is pleased to invite you to 'Celebrate A Decade Of Extraordinary Growth' in the reputation and market share of Italian Wines In The United Stares.

Enroll in a series of special events in which you can learn about Italy's Wine Revolution from the producers who played leading roles in transforming wine making in Italy in pursuit of ever-higher levels of quality and from the importers who have introduced millions of consumers in the United States to the remarkable quality, outstanding value and enormous versatility of Italy's wines.

Learn why Italy has led the world in supplying premium wines to American consumers: young and exuberant whites and reds, prestigious wines for special occasions like barrel-aged crus, sweet and dry sparkling wines, rich and mellow dessert beverages...the range is vast and steadily growing.

Taste the results of this Italian Wine Revolution...And savor the wine's superb aromas and distinctive flavors. Be a part of this exceptional celebration of Italy's fine wines in the following cities:

Seattle - May 26, 1998
Chicago - May 28, 1998
New York - June 1, 1998

Join internationally renowned food & wine writer Burton Anderson in each of these cities as he moderates a panel discussion by leading industry experts and takes you through a guided tasting featuring outstanding Italian wines at a symposium in each city: "Italian Wines in the United States, Looking to the Future After 10 Year of Prodigious Growth."

Participating US importers:

Tom Alberico, Laird Importers | Alessandro Angelini, Casa Vinicola Zonin | Roberto Bava, Cantine Bava | Mario Belardino, Bedford International | Leopoldo Bisio, Vias Imports | Jack Cacciato, Wine Wave | Philip Di Belardino, International Distillers Vintners | Francoise Dufour, Dufour & Company | Neil Empson, Empson | Adolfo Folonari, Tuscan Estates of Ruffino | Stefano Girelli, Casa Girelli | Vicenzo Guglierti, Opici Wine Import | James Koch, Vinissimo Estate Selection | Violante Lepore, Selected Estates of Europe | Samuel Levitas, Tricana Imports | Leonardo LoCasio, Winebow | Andrew P. Mansinne, Brown Forman Beverages Worldwide | Enzo Mion, Miotto | Gino Razzi, Viva Vino Import | Michal S. Wolf, Italian Brands Castello di Brolio | Frank. R. Wollmann, AV Imports

(added: Febr. 23rd, 2012; pics to follow)

Lambrusco - Times are changing (Kyle Phillips | April 23rd)
Notes: At a 3-city Symposium (Seattle, Chicago, New York) moderated by Burton Anderson the first quality dry Lambrusco is introduced to the most important US wine writers and the trade.

20 of the participating 21 US importers introduce wines like Barolo, Brunello, Super Tuscans, Amarones, etc. only one importer talks up "the wine with the world's worst reputation."

At each city all 2o US importers gather at Vinissimo's table to enjoy a real Lambrusco. "This is what we love to drink but we would never import it. You've got guts. Congratulation!" 
(pic to follow)

1999
The wine trade's image of  lambrusco

No online stories.

"Most Lambrusco made today is a fairly anonymous, standardized product made in industrial quantities by co-operatives or large commercial wineries using the Charmat bulk process, together with heavy filtration, stabilization, and, frequently, pasteurization."  - Jancis Robinson (1999)

JANCIS ROBINSON, MW: "So successful has Lambrusco been on export markets that special white, pink, and light (low-alcohol wine) versions have perversely been created, the colour and alcohol often being deliberately removed." (1999)

Barbolini is being imported into San Francisco in response to our lambrusco restaurant placings in SF. Officially enters the US market in 2006.
Notes:
True Lambrusco is served at several James Beard Dinners in NYC.

2000
Sour Grapes

No online stories.

UK: Northern Fizz
"The island race may not know too much about wine (the fact that Lambrini Bianco is produced in Liverpool tells its own story). But we are not so dumb we can't tell a Lambrini from a Lambrusco (or a Lamborghini for that matter). If the Italians are worried about lost sales, the answer is simple. Make something even tackier than Lambrini. We'll drink it."
(Oct. 20th | The Independent)

UK: Legal battle over lambrusco turns into 'sour grapes'
(Oct. 10th | Independent)
Notes:

2001
NYC: ino & I Trulli

No online stories.
Via Emilia Restaurant, New York, opens in November.

Charles Scicolone (vino) and Nicola Marzovilla (I Trulli) get intoduced to authentic lambrusco. No takers.
Notes:

2002
NY restaurants are falling in love with true lambrusco

No online stories.

Venturini Baldini is being imported into FL.
Notes: 6 years later True Lambrusco has a sizeable following among NY's top restaurants.

2003
Retro Lambrusco (on-premise only)

No online stories.
Notes: S. Irene Virbila, LA Times: "It's been so long since I've tasted a good Lambrusco, I'd forgotten that in Emilia-Romagna, it's the classic accompaniment to prosciutto, salami, soppressata and any and all of Italy's glorious cured pork products."

2004
NY retailers giggle & LA foodies talk

First online story.

"...One ironic twist is that with gigagallons of the old party soda still swashing about, finding a respectable bottle [of Lambrusco] here is next to impossible. Even the cognoscenti aren't up to the task; calls to many of the better wine retailers in and around Manhattan produced little more than giggles. Most said they carried none, citing the fragility of the wines and lack of customer interest. The wines are problematic on many fronts. The label may not tell you what type of Lambrusco they are, or may even lack a vintage. Further, the wines are meant to be consumed fresh: weeks baking in transatlantic travel combined with lulls on the shelf can quickly ruin them..."
- New York Times (2004)

Know good Lambrusco? (Blog | February 15th)

Cantine Ceci is being imported into NY.
Cleto Chiarli is being imported into VA and NY.
Le Grotte (Trader Joe's*) is being imported into CA.
(* TJ's buyers tasted our dry Lambrusco at a annual tasting event in SF for serveral years only to select a 'dolce' version for their stores.)

Notes: Lambrusco is discussed on Chowhound for the first time.



2005
Back in style...but only in NYC restaurants

Is Lambrusco A Serious Wine (Drinks Forum | December 5th)
Lambrusco - It's Better Than You Think (Blog | September 15th)
Bubbling it Up! (New York Magazine | May 21st)

Pederzana is being imported into MA.
Albinea Canali is being imported into NY.
Villa di Corlo is being imported into OR.
Notes: Lambrusco is back in style BUT only in NYC (10 years after it was introduced in NY) while others are still debating if Lambrusco is okay to drink. It will take another 5 years before the main stream wine media starts to notice a wine called 'Lambrusco'.

2006
Eric Asimov: Lambrusco, No Joke

The power of the New York and San Francisco Media:
Cured meats love Lambrusco. (SF Chronicle | December 29th)
Paint the town red with Italian bubbles (SF Chronicle | Dec. 29th)
30 Second Wine Advisor: Serious Lambrusco (October 13th)
Lambrusco, No Joke (NY Times | July 26th)

Barbolini is being imported into NY.
Vezzelli is being imported into NY.
Pederzana is being imported into NY.
Ca' Berti is being imported into NY.
Villa di Corlo is being imported into NY.
Notes: 10 years after Matt Kramer reviews the first dry lambrusco in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times publishes its first major article on authentic lambrusco. The San Francisco Chronicle comes out with 2 stories about Lambrusco at the end of the year. Consequently, more lambruscos are entering the US wine market. Lambrusco is finally being noticed and taken seriously by wine writers. It took 12 years to get to this point.

2007
Eric Asimov: No Joke. Part 2

Lambrusco: The Effervescent Wine of Italy (IntoWine | December 20th)
BREAKING: Mrs. Vino no likely lambrusco (Dr. Vino | July 29th)
Rockss and Fruit: Life Beyond Lambrusco (Blog | July 18th)
Not so fast: Don't dismiss Lambrusco (NY Times | July 17th)
What's Up Lambrusco (Chowhound | July 2nd)
Lambrusco, lambrewski (Dr. Vino | June 14th)
Lambrusco is the New Rose (The Kitchen | June 5th)
Not Your Grandmother's Lambrusco (Food & Wine | April 30th)

Lini is being imported into NY.
Cleto Chiarli is being imported into MN.
Notes: The second major lambrusco story in the NY Times by Eric Asimov. Food & Wine, Dr. Vino and other bloggers are getting excited about and "into" lambrusco.

2008
Lambrusco's reputation is changing!

Two Lambruscos to savor (The Oregonion | November 2nd)
Italian wines and antipasto: the great matchup (LA Times | Sept. 3rd)
Thought the fad had fizzled out? Red Lambrusco is back!
(CNJ | Aug. 21)
The Terroir and Diversity of Lambrusco (Blog | August 12th)
Communist Party secretary snubs Lambrusco (Blog | July 23rd)
“When we saw Parmigiano on the tables, unaccompanied by Lambrusco,” said Donato Vena, secretary of the Reggio Emilia Communist Party federation (local chapter), “we began to worry. This is sacrilege. If they refuse to give us Lambrusco, we will buy it ourselves and we will offer some to Diliberto so that he can change his mind.”
Danata Venturini Hosts Lambrusco Dinner at Del Posto (July 1st)
Opinions of those in the Know: Lambrusco / Prosecco (June 19th)

Cleto Chiarli is being imported into OH.
Venturini Baldini is being imported into NJ.
Cavicchioli is being imported into NY.

__"...Arriva il sindaco nel cielo indaco del crepuscolo, rosso di lambrusco, parla e non si becca un fischio. Tutti applaudono quando notano che è pronto il varo con una bottiglia gran cuvee Laurent-Perrier..." (2008)
Notes: Restaurant reviewers are 'no longer 'afraid' to recommend Lambrusco to their readers. Wine Drinkers are starting to ask questions about Lambrusco. Lambrusco is searched 4 x on winelibary.com. Only 4 x by consumers! (That will change starting with 2011.)

"Whereas Los Angeles was the launch pad for Prosecco, the Italian sparkling white wine featured in this column last week, New York is home to the growing red Lambrusco revival."

Riunite is talking DRY Lambrusco! (MPG)
"The dry Ottocentro Nero Lambrusco IGT from Albinea Canali is more limited in production and we can expect the introduction of Movendo Dry Lambrusco IGT...in the US January, 2009. "


2009
Official breakthrough (on-premise)

Introducing Lambrusco (Snooth | November 24th)
Department of Greenwashing: Ceci La Luna (Dr. Vino | Nov. 17th)
Lambrusco in a New Light (Great Grapes | October)
New earthy Lambrusco a sweet treat (AZ Central | September 23rd)
An Underrated Red (August 5th)
The Rise & Return of Lambrusco (Blog | May 21st)
Lambrusco - A Red Wine that Sparkles (Blog | February 25th)
The Return of Lambrusco (Chicago Foodies | January 3rd)

Rinaldini is being imported into CA & distributed in NY.
Vezzelli is being imported into NJ.
Venturini Baldini is being imported into NY.
Notes: The number of lambrusco brands imported into the USA increases dramatically. | For the first time two Lambruscos received 'Tre Bicchieri' from Gambero Rosso, Italy's leading wine guide. | Gary Vaynerchuk talks [for the first time] about Lambrusco (click on link, to view episode #617 and  comments)

Villa Banfi (Riunite USA) adds two dry Lambruscos to their portfolio.


2010
Real Lambrusco is here to stay!

The most Lambrusco stories ever written in a single year:
Best Bubbly without Breaking the Bank (CBS | December 30th)
New year, new sparkle (Boston Globe | December 29th)
Another (good) Lambrusco (Blog | December 20th)
Lambrusco, the noble Italian bubbly (Ruidoso News | December 16th)
Lambrusco Dinner (Blog | December 14th)
Looking Into Lambrusco (WSJ | December 10th)
Stumping the Wine Critic (NY Times | December 1st)
Don't be fooled by other Lambruscos (Blog | December)
How to serve Lambrusco (Blog | November 15th)
On the Wine Trail: I love Lambrusco (Blog | October 22nd)
Lambrusco Wine Nutrition Information (Blog | October 11th)
Table friendly wines from "La Grassa" (La Cucina Italiana | October)
Never Denigrate Lambrusco Again (Wine Enthusiast | Sept. 17th)
What is Lambrusco? (Blog | September 9th)
I dream of Lambrusco (Blog | July 7th)
Lambrusco: Sweet Mercy (Out Magazine | June 9th)
For the Love of Lambrusco (WSJ | April 23rd)
Lambrusco Wine: Undrinkable or Under-Rated? (Blog | April 7th) 

First price increase in 10 years.

"“Le quotazioni – spiega il responsabile delle coop agricole e agroalimentari di Confcooperative - appaiono in rialzo, e dopo i segnali di ripresa del 2010 (crescita delle quotazioni dal 10 al 15% per i lambruschi) è prevedibile un ulteriore miglioramento, sia per la sostanziale assenza di giacenze, sia per le condizioni create dal calo produttivo”. “Questo – osserva Lasagni – consentirebbe ai produttori di riprendere un po’ di fiato: non va infatti dimenticato che la ripresa delle quotazioni nel 2010 si è riscontrata rispetto a quotazioni 2009 che si sono collocate ai minimi degli ultimi dieci anni”." - 24emilia.com
Notes: Un-confusing Lambrusco: Clones, Zones/DOCs, Foam/Froth, Funkiness, and Bianco | 15 years after the first top-quality dry lambrusco makes it into the USA and was reviewed by Matt Kramer, the main stream media is starting to write serious articles about real lambrusco and other US importers are taking another, this time a serious look at lambrusco. | Again, two lambruscos receive Gambero Rosso's 'Tre Bicchieri'.

For the first time 'noble' and 'lambrusco' appear in the same story.

Finally, Lambrusco is starting to get the respect it deserves in more and more US restaurants.

Lambrusco producers are able to raise their prices for the first time in 10 years.

2011
Let the boom of real (and 'not so real' Lambrusco) begin:
"Lambrusco in pole position."

"Con il lambrusco in forte crescita sui mercati esteri, il 2011 ha fatto registrare il record storico delle esportazioni di vino italiano nel mondo dove le aziende italiane hanno realizzato un fatturato stimato in 4 miliardi di euro, in aumento del 14 per cento rispetto allo scorso anno.

_E’ quanto emerge da un’analisi di Coldiretti sulla base degli andamenti rilevati dall’Istat nel commercio estero dei primi nove mesi del 2011 nel sottolineare che, secondo i dati della Regione Emilia Romagna, l’export dei vini regionali ha registrato un più 21% sostenuto soprattutto dalla performance dei lambruschi con il Lambrusco DOC di Modena esportato per il 45% della produzione e l’IGT Emilia, tipologia Lambrusco, per il 70%."
Notes:

2012
Commodity and True* Lambruscos. Side-by-side.
(*never bianco. never dolce. always 10.5% alc. or more. never 8% alc.)

Wildman Enters the Sweet Red Wine Craze
Notes:
All About Lambrusco (lambruscoday.org)

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