Well, slap my ass and call me Sally. Are we really drinking Lambrusco? And if we are, do we have to put plastic covers on the couch and feather our hair?

Take a chill pill this isn’t Riuniti on ice. Although, give that one a high five for being the Nº 1 selling Italian red wine in the US for more than forty years. Still! Bubbly. I know but still!

This isn’t your mom’s sweet, frizzy red wine. Actually, most Lambruscos we have tasted over the years are carefully crafted and well-regarded wines. Lambrusco is as old as the hills. Even older than someone who shamelessly references the seventies. In fact, there is archaeological evidence indicating that the Etruscans cultivated the vine. I wonder what their theme song was.

Full disclosure this is the first rosé of Lambrusco we have tasted. And it IS so nice. Deliciously fizzy and a gorgeous dusty pink, the bubbles do the hustle out of the bottle immediately. Hibiscus, strawberry, and a snap of mint bump around on the palate, and the slightly tannic finish is quintessentially Italian.

Throw your keys in the bowl, pop the bottle and take a skinny dip into the fondue and cold cuts. Yes, dreamboat, those are the pairings.