Lambrusco Grasparossa

Also known as Grappello Grasparossa.

One of the six genuinely distinct MASAF-registered Lambrusco varieties native to Emilia, named for the reddish ("rossa") color its stalks/canes turn in autumn ("graspo" = stem/stalk). Grown on the higher hillside ground southwest of Modena around Castelvetro, unlike the flatland Sorbara and Salamino — it gives the deepest-colored, most structured and tannic wines of the whole Lambrusco family, purple-black in the glass, more full-bodied and age-worthy than its lighter cousins.

In Lombardia, it's a facultative minor blending component (alongside Lambrusco di Sorbara, Ancellotta, and Fortana, up to 15% combined) in Lambrusco Mantovano DOC and its twin Mantova/Sabbioneta IGT, whose main base is the locally native Lambrusco Viadanese/Maestri/Marani/Salamino. The Lambrusco Mantovano disciplinare itself glosses the grape by its local name "Grappello Grasparossa."