The northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna is celebrating World Lambrusco Day today, Tuesday 21 June. To celebrate the momentous festivity of one of the region’s specialities, the Lambrusco Protection Consortium and the Emilia Romagna Tourist Board are inviting wine lovers in the UK to raise a glass of Lambrusco and toast the start of summer.

World Lambrusco Day highlights this wine varietal’s famous red bubbles, in all their nuance of taste and colour. Compared to other wines, Lambrusco is ‘frizzante’, meaning it is slightly sparkling, which is why it is a common choice for those seeking a refreshing drink in the sun. The increasingly dry Lambrusco’s are the perfect partners to a variety of food; cutting through Emilia Romagna’s salty meats and cheeses with its fizz, and pairing nicely with sweet desserts due to its fruity notes.

Lambrusco consists of 12 different varieties – and it is Italy’s most exported wine. The Lambrusco Protection Consortium, which brings together 70 producers and includes 10,000 hectares of vineyards, protects six different denominations: Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC, Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC, Salamino di Santa Croce DOC, Modena DOC, Reggiano DOC and Colli di Scandiano, and Canossa DOC.

Claudio Biondi, president of the Lambrusco Protection Consortium, said: “World Lambrusco Day is a symbolic day in which we aim to celebrate our bubbles, in their various forms, together with all the wine lovers around the world. From the UK and Ireland to Australia, Lambrusco is able to unite fans from all corners of the world.”

Those interested in participating in this year’s World Lambrusco Day can share their Lambrusco photos on social media with the hashtags #LambruscoDay22 and #InEmiliaRomagna and by tagging @consorziolambrusco and @inemiliaromagna.

Dubbed ‘Food Valley’ because of its world-known culinary traditions, Emilia Romagna boasts 44 PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) products, 24 PDO wines, 23 starred restaurants and 26 food museums dedicated to some of the most well-known treasures in Emilia Romagna, including Rosso Graspa museum, devoted to the Lambrusco Grasparossa DOC.

In 2021, more than 46 million bottles of Lambrusco DOC were produced – and about 60% of them were exported to international markets.