NV Riunite Lambrusco

Advertising is a powerful thing and can stick with you for a long time. Due to the near total lack of wine advertising in the Mid-South during the early 80s and the continuing scarcity of wine commercials during network TV, the first wine brand that I was exposed to as a callow youth was Riunite, which I seem to recall from ad breaks while Mom was watching Dallas or Remington Steele.

The Riunite on Ice--That's Nice ad campaign had a catchy title, an exotic, grown-up subject matter (wine!), and a bizarre first introduction to the pronunciation of Italian words. I didn't learn how to read via phonics but tended to do pretty well in matching up spoken language vs. spelling. McLeod pronounced "Mic Loud" never bothered me, and the name Riunite made sense alongside names like Yosemite or Gethsemane.

In the commercial, I love how they recommend serving the wine with burgers, tacos, fried chicken, salads... One might notice that your humble wine blogger does a lot of that as well, though I generally do not serve wine over ice unless in sangria form. who can argue with bringing the concept of a simple table wine to the masses?

NV Riunite Lambrusco
Emilia IGT
8% abv.

Aroma of Concord grape jelly, though just a touch of sweetness and a little fizz on the finish. The fizz is entirely gone by the second day, though the flavor remains constant.

To be honest, this is the first Lambrusco I've tried, and the style is not entirely matched to my palate. I find it a little cloying and a bit off balance, but the type and specific brand of this wine have been quite popular for a long time. Everyone needs an entryway into the world of wine, and while I generally recommend Vinho Verde, this bottle has inspired me to seek out some other Lambruscos to see what's out there. Suggestions are highly encouraged in the comments section!

Note: This wine was provided as a sample for review.