It has been said that sparkling reds are the final frontier for American wine drinkers. Here is your chance to take the plunge. This month, we will explore Lambrusco, the bubbly red wine that has refreshed the people of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy for generations.

Do not let its bad reputation fool you. Good Lambrusco is joyous and delicious, and it goes wonderfully with salumi, pork dishes, rich pastas and pizzas.

The story of how Lambrusco earned sneers is an old one and hardly bears repeating, except that many people are still stuck on the notion that Lambrusco is sweet, fizzy and mildly alcoholic. The mass-market Lambruscos that sold roughly a few zillion bottles a year in the 1980s were indeed sickly sweet. And they remain popular.