I’ve been dropping hints for a while, so I think it’s safe to say I am the worst secret-keeper ever. I can’t help it! But today, I’m feeling so emotional I can barely find the words.
The cat is finally, officially out of the bag: Lucci is here!!!
What is Lucci? It’s my very first wine label. I own a wine label! It’s a dream come true, and I could cry just looking at the bottle. Lucci, the little Lambrusco that could.
Lambrusco is an Italian chilled sparkling red wine that’s been my drink of choice for over a decade. I’m obsessed, and it bugged me that I couldn’t always find a good one at my local shop or on the menu at my favorite spots. It felt like a forgotten category that everyone had given up on after its rise in the ‘80s, because the wine here in the U.S. became known as very sweet, so different from the wine I fell in love with in Italy.
So I did what I usually do and took matters into my own hands. I decided I wanted to revive it. I didn’t want sweet; I wanted a dry, sophisticated, sparkling red with lower sugar and high drinkability. I wanted a modern, accessible glow-up for a misunderstood classic.
You might be thinking, “Gosh Ashley, another brand?” But if you know me, you know I don’t do anything halfway, and I definitely don’t do things just to do them.
Lucci feels like a baby I’ve been building for three years, and the process has been a total masterclass in persistence. My business partner, Danny, and I took several trips to Emilia-Romagna (the cradle of Lambrusco production) to meet with a team of 5th-generation winemakers. Being at the winery watching wine being made was an incredible experience, and the tasting process required a lot of precision. It was important for us to perfect the blend and flavor profile—50% Lambrusco Salamino grapes and 50% Lambrusco Marani grapes, fruit-forward, with notes of dark berries and this gorgeous deep ruby color that looks so chic in a glass. 😍
Tastings aside, getting Lucci off the ground wasn’t easy. We had a lot of people—and I’m talking about distributors and investors—tell us no. Even some of the people we’re working with now initially told us no! We kept circling back, poking and poking, and eventually got them on board. The main reason for the hesitation was that Lambrusco is a new category for them. It feels a bit unknown and untapped.
Plus, people just aren’t drinking as much these days, which I totally get—I’m cutting back too. But I always feel like there’s room for a little celebration or just a casual glass to enjoy with a meal or good conversation. (Lucci has an 11% ABV, perfect for sipping smarter.) That’s why I felt so strongly about pushing through all the rejections, the no-thank-yous, and the whole “it’s not trending” thing. And I’m SO glad I did! That untapped vibe is exactly what makes Lucci perfect for this moment.
How I’m Drinking It (Literally With Everything) 🍷Lucci happens to be insanely versatile, and I really mean that. In Italy, you typically pair Lambrusco with heavy pastas and fatty Parmigiano to cut through the richness, but since bringing Lucci home, I’ve realized it goes with everything. I’ve been experimenting with recipes and testing it (tough job, but someone has to do it) with:
The classics—pizza, pasta, and big charcuterie boards
Sushi, spicy Indian food (surprisingly divine!), and my favorite Tuesday night tacos
Lamb chops and steaks
Brunch! Love mimosas, but Lucci and eggs is my current staple.
One scoop of high-quality vanilla bean ice cream topped with Lucci. It sounds wild, but the way the bubbles hit the cream? Bella.
(And to really enjoy Lambrusco, you gotta chill it—not freezing cold, but definitely not warm, either. When we were shooting the campaign at the actual vineyard in Italy, it was mid-summer and hot as hell. I’m a girl who runs cold and loves the heat, but I’ve never been so overheated in my life. We couldn’t keep the wine on ice for the shots, so every time the director told me to take a sip, it was warm. It’s not fun to spit out your own product, but you gotta do what you gotta do for the shot. 😂)
Lucci is meant for the loud laughs, the girl dinners, and those rare moments where you’re so present you forget to check your phone. It’s for the high-energy celebrations, but it’s also for chilling solo by the pool or getting horizontal on the sofa after the kids are in bed. That’s why our motto is “For every occasion—or no occasion at all.”
I’m entering a massive, $10 billion bubbly market, and I know how many celebrity brands are out there. This isn’t a vanity project where I just slapped my name on a (beautiful) label. I started this with no outside money three years ago. Danny and I pounded the pavement and persuaded distributors who didn’t believe in the category, and I’ve spent more hours than I can count in the weeds of logistics and formulations just to prove that Lambrusco deserves to be back on the map.
Which is why the most important part—and the reason I’m feeling so vulnerable today—is that I’m not rushing this.
We live in a world where everything has to be available everywhere immediately. That drop culture is exciting, but I’m choosing a different path for Lucci. We are rolling out slowly and intentionally. If it’s not in your local shop yet, please know it’s because I want to build this brand the right way. I’m going to be the one popping into wine stores, meeting the teams, and making sure Lucci finds its home on the right tables.
Check out our website at luccilambrusco.com and follow us @luccilambrusco on social media to see where we’re popping up first, and please bear with me as we grow! Good things—the kind that actually last—take time, and I promise these bubbles are worth the wait.
Thank you for being a part of this journey. I can’t wait to see a glass of Lucci in your hand soon.
Ciao for now!!!
xo Ashley
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