The Reggiano (formerly Lambrusco Reggiano) DOC was created in 1970, but has been revised on more than ten occasions since then. One of the latter revisions expanded the DOC to cover not just sparkling red Lambrusco wines, but also dry red wines made predominantly from Ancellotta and sparkling white wines. Reggiano is one of several DOC titles in central Emilia-Romagna. Others include Salamino di Santa Croce, Grasparossa di Castelvetra, di Sorbara and di Modena. The DOC title comes from the Reggio Emilia province in which it is made. This is the largest of the five Lambrusco-based regions, and is responsible for an impressive quantity of the sparkling wines exported every year, mostly to the US and northern Europe. Classic Lambrusco, a mixture of the various Lambrusco grape varieties, is a sparkling red wine that varies in sweetness from off-dry to semi-sweet. Reggiano is particularly known for its sweet amabile and dolce versions, which contain up to 15% partially fermented Ancellotta grapes (which give it its natural sweetness); the remaining 85% is made up of Maestri, Marani, Monstericco and Salamino Lambrusco in any combination. The sweeter styles are generally made in a lightly sparkling frizzante, while the dry wines are darker in color and fuller bodied. A Bianco spumante is also produced, made from must fermented without stalks and skins. The Rosato (rose) style is made by permitting limited skin contact to allow a little pigment to leach out into the juice.
Map of the region
