Pull off the plastic clip that holds down its fun, mushroom-shaped cap, and this wine opens with a pop and pours with a short-lived fizz. Clear, light reddish orange, fading to watery pale at the edge, almost a rosé. Very attractive red-berry scents, a pleasant mix of raspberries and strawberries. Red fruit on the palate follows the nose, with more carbonation in the mouthfeel than you see in the glass. Fresh, crisp acidity and a distinct note of pleasant but perceptible bitterness in the finish. Interesting sipping wine, light and gulpable at 11% alcohol, clean and palate-cleansing in the long, fresh finish. U.S. importer: Cleto Chiarli USA via Dalla Terra Winery Direct, Napa, Calif. (Sept. 24, 2015)

FOOD MATCH: A stereotypical match with pizza, pasta and burgers, it was just fine with spaghetti with a meat sauce made with fresh garden tomatoes.

WHEN TO DRINK: There’s no point in cellaring this fresh, non-vintage wine. Buy it, drink it, buy it again.

VALUE: For a pleasant change of pace, my local price came in below Wine-Searcher.com’s median U.S. retail price of $17 for Cleto Chiarli “Vecchia Modena Premium” Lambrusco di Sorbara Secco.

WEB LINKS Importer Dalla Terra has information about Dleto Chiarli here. For a PDF fact sheet on the Lambrusco di Sorbara, click here. Want the original source? Click here for the Cleto Chiarli web page in Italian.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and locate vendors for Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco on Wine-Searcher.com.

Looking for more artisanal Lambrusco? Check out this good article on Wine-Searcher.com, and page down for this extensive list of vendors and prices.