Sparkling red wine surprises people. Most of us grew up thinking bubbles meant Champagne or Prosecco, pale and golden, poured at weddings. Then someone hands you a glass of something deep purple and fizzing, cold, fruity and dry, and it tastes like the best idea anyone ever had for a pizza night.
It is one of our favorite things to open. Here is what it is, the main kinds you will find, and how to drink it.
Sparkling red wine is exactly what it sounds like: red wine with bubbles. It is made from red grapes, with the juice left on the skins long enough to pick up color and flavor, and then it is made sparkling in one of a few ways.
The tank method. The wine gets its second fermentation in a large pressurized tank, then it is bottled. This keeps the fruit fresh and bright, and it is how most Lambrusco is made. You may see it called the Charmat or Martinotti method.
The traditional method. The second fermentation happens in the bottle itself, the way Champagne is made. It gives finer bubbles and more toasty, savory depth. Some of the best Lambrusco and most Australian sparkling Shiraz are made this way.
The ancestral method, or pét-nat. The wine is bottled before its first and only fermentation has finished, so the last of the fermentation happens in the bottle and traps the bubbles. Pét-nat is short for pétillant naturel, French for naturally sparkling. The result is gently fizzy, often a little cloudy, and full of fresh fruit. This is the natural winemaker's sparkling wine.
The best-known sparkling red in the world, from Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, the same region that gives us Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma and balsamic vinegar of Modena. That tells you a lot about what it is for: rich, salty, savory food.
Lambrusco is the name of a family of grapes, and there are several types. Lambrusco di Sorbara is the palest and most delicate, almost pink, with bright acidity. Lambrusco Grasparossa is the darkest and fullest, with more tannin. Lambrusco Salamino sits in between.
Forget the sweet, cheap Lambrusco that flooded America in the 1970s and 80s. Good Lambrusco today is usually dry, fresh, deeply fruity and moreish. Look for these words on the label:
Natural winemakers all over the world make red and rosé pét-nats from all sorts of grapes. They tend to be lighter, juicier and more playful than Lambrusco, with soft bubbles and a lot of fruit. Because they are not usually filtered, many are a little hazy. They are easy, fun and made for the patio.
From Piedmont, in northwest Italy. Light, sweet, gently sparkling and low in alcohol, with an aroma of roses and strawberries. A dessert wine, lovely with chocolate or fresh berries.
An Australian classic, usually made the traditional way. Deep purple, full-bodied, with dark berry fruit, a little spice, and often a touch of sweetness. In Australia it is a holiday tradition.
Sparkling reds usually taste of dark berries, cherries, plums and violets, with fresh acidity and bubbles that lift everything. The dry ones finish clean and a little earthy. Unlike most red wine, they are served cold, which makes them feel lighter and more refreshing than their color suggests.
This is the pairing we would choose over almost any other.
Pizza is salty, fatty, cheesy and tomatoey. Sparkling red has the acidity to cut the fat, bubbles to clean your palate between bites, and dark fruit that loves tomato. In Emilia-Romagna, Lambrusco is the everyday wine with rich food for exactly this reason.
With our pizzas:
Our pizzas are made fresh here on organic Washington flour dough, hand tossed. A cold bottle of sparkling red and a pie on the patio on a sunny afternoon is about as good as Ballard gets.
Most of our wine is natural, organic or both. We source the best bottles our vendors can find, wherever they come from, and the fridge changes as we taste new things. We stock sparkling reds and red pét-nats, and the bottles change as we find new ones, so ask what is in.
Take a bottle home, or drink it here. Corkage is $5 a bottle, and there is no corkage at all Monday to Thursday until 5pm. Ask us what is open. Our house red, white and rosé by the glass are $12, or $10 at happy hour, Monday to Thursday until 5pm.
Is sparkling red wine sweet? It can be either. Most good Lambrusco is dry, labeled secco. Amabile is off-dry, and dolce is sweet. Brachetto d'Acqui is sweet, and red pét-nats are usually dry.
Should sparkling red wine be served cold? Yes. Serve it chilled, around 45 to 50°F, like any sparkling wine.
What is the most famous sparkling red wine? Lambrusco, from Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy.
What is the difference between Lambrusco and Prosecco? Lambrusco is a red, sparkling wine made from Lambrusco grapes in Emilia-Romagna. Prosecco is a white sparkling wine made mainly from the Glera grape in northeast Italy.
What food goes with sparkling red wine? Rich, salty and savory food: pizza, cured meats, hard cheeses, burgers and barbecue. Sweet sparkling reds like Brachetto go with chocolate and berries.
We are at 2446 NW Market St in Ballard. Natural and organic wine, pizza on organic Washington flour dough made fresh here, fourteen rotating taps, and a patio built for a cold bottle and a hot pizza. Families are welcome, and dogs are welcome inside and on the patio.
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