Move over prosecco – lambrusco is sparkling its way back into favour

Is the much-mocked lambrusco about to make a comeback?

The sparkling wine has been a focus of mockery since its 1980s heyday, but the combination of a strong vintage of grapes from Italy's Emilio Romagna region and a higher alcohol content are seeing it stage an unexpected revival.

Italian chef Antonio Carluccio has introduced a £30 bottle across 100 of his restaurants in the UK and the results have so far been favourable: last week it outsold prosecco.

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Carluccio told the Daily Mail that lambrusco "has always been good for those people in the know" and explains that it only became unpopular because "people have been drinking the wrong version; what I call the Coca-Cola of lambrusco".

He advocates dry lambrusco, which he says is "so thick and full-bodied, you can cut it with a knife". When eaten with parma ham, cured meats or spicy fish, he continues, "it is absolutely fantastic and there is simply nothing better".

Sainsbury's also resumed sales of lambrusco last year, using pignoletto, an ancient grape variety grown in the hills of Bologna. The wine has proved a "great success" for the supermarket chain, says the Daily Telegraph.

Wine expert Zeren Wilson gave lambrusco a "strong showing" when he created a wine list for Bibo in Putney, south London, earlier this year.

"It was a risk, given its reputation," he said. "But younger winemakers are making lambrusco as it used to be: dry, at least 11 per cent abv, with fresh acidity, and these make great food-friendly wines."

Back in March, Decanter magazine urged its readers not to "write off" lambrusco, picking out five wines to try.