La Piana (Mirco Gianaroli) Pignoletto Frizzante Secco DOC, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

On the smallest and hilliest Lambrusco DOC, Castelvetro di Modena produces the meatiest and driest sparkling red Lambrusco of Emilia-Romagna. Farming since he was 14, Mirco Gianaroli and his Società Agricola La Piana make a dark purple, bone-dry, gently tannic, and richly fruited sparkling from his local Grasparossa variety of Lambrusco. The white grape of these hills is Pignoletto. It’s also known as Grechetto Gentile, and it’s one of those distinctly regional Italian wines that rarely seems to travel far from home. In Emilia it’s the everyday bottle, poured with aperitivo, salumi, Parmigiano, anything fried, seafood, and oysters, or simply opened cold among friends. Mirco’s is 100% Pignoletto, certified organic, dry and gently frizzante, at just 11.5% alcohol. It’s bright, savory and ridiculously easy to drink: citrus and white peach, a little floral lift, and the grape’s characteristic bitter-almond finish. The bubbles are light rather than aggressive, so think of it as a wine for the table, not a substitute for Prosecco. Where his Lambrusco is dark and meaty, this is all freshness. It’s the other side of La Piana.