When I was asked if I wanted to review Lambrini's new fully sparkling bottle, I must admit it felt rather apt. A long-time fan of champagne, Cava, Prosecco and all things bubbly, I was so ready to try something new.
Lambrini Fully Sparkling arrived in Asda stores this week marking the 25th anniversary of the perry brand. It's priced at just £5, it's only 5.5% abv and, to make it even more guilt free, it's a mere 75 calories per small glass (125ml) which is 15 calories fewer than Prosecco.
If you're a die-hard Prosecco fan but want to cut down your alcohol intake, it's the perfect substitute. If I had to compare the taste to anything else, though, it would be Martini Asti (a low-alcohol sparkling wine which was certainly good enough for the guests at my wedding in lieu of actual champers).
As you can probably already tell, I'm a sucker for affordable wine - especially when they're as refreshing as this bottle. It makes for the perfect pre-drink tipple, and is an ideal mid-afternoon picnic beverage.
Unfortunately, Lambrini as a brand doesn't have the best reputation. As it's marketed as a wine, it has always been one of the cheapest in most supermarkets' wine selections since its inception in 1994. Unfortunately, the price-tag has lent itself to becoming associated with British "chav" culture, much like White Lightning or Fosters - because when you're underage and you have no money but you do have an older friend who's willing to buy alcohol for you, you usually end up clutching a bottle of Lam.
But in fact, we think it's a rather unfair connotation for the brand. Lambrini is inexpensive, yes, but the actual drink is not dissimilar in taste to pear cider. Thinking of it as a wine puts it at a disadvantage - we're not about to swill it around our glass and sniff it. But as a fruity, sweet refreshment to welcome in the sunnier months, we're proud to be clinking together our glasses of Lambrini Fully Sparkling.
Tagged in Wine