Lambrusco Maestri

Also known as Grappello Maestri.

One of the six genuinely distinct MASAF-registered Lambrusco varieties native to Emilia, associated above all with Parma. Unlike its lighter Sorbara/Salamino cousins, Maestri produces deeply colored, full-bodied wines with substantial tannic structure — the variety most reliably reached for when a Lambrusco blend needs backbone and color depth.

The dominant base of Lombardia's own Lambrusco Mantovano DOC and its twin Provincia di Mantova / Sabbioneta IGT, where it's one of four varieties (with Lambrusco Viadanese, Lambrusco Marani, and Lambrusco Salamino) required to make up a minimum 85% of the blend — the Lambrusco Mantovano disciplinare glosses it by its local Mantuan name "Grappello Maestri."