IGT Red

Otello Nero di Lambrusco, Cantine Ceci

Cantine Ceci

Grape
Lambrusco
Denomination
Emilia / dell'Emilia IGT
Region
Emilia Romagna
ABV
11%
Body
Light to medium
Drink
Now to 2028

Cantine Ceci's Otello is a fizzy red Lambrusco from Parma: cherry, blackberry and violet, soft bubbles and a touch of sweetness at 11%. Serve it cold with cured meats or pizza. Four UK shops list it from £13.50.

Best price
£11.80 Save 13%

75cl · checked 26 Sep

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Where to buy Nero di Lambrusco IGT Emilia, Otello , Cantina Ceci

£11.80 best price · 5 retailers in stock · checked 27 Sep 2026

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Xtrawine Best price Save 13% Not stated · 75cl · checked 26 Sep
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£11.80 was regular price £13.50 £15.73/L
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Vino Best price Not stated · 75cl · checked 27 Sep
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£13.50 £18.00/L
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Vinissimus Best price Save 25% Not stated · 75cl · checked 27 Sep
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£14.56 was regular price £19.40 £19.41/L
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Eurowines Best price Not stated · 75cl · checked 24 Sep
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£16.61 £22.15/L
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Hedonism Best price Not stated · 75cl · checked 27 Sep
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£25.60 £34.13/L
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Stock status is read from each retailer’s page once a day and may lag.

Tasting Notes

What Ceci's Otello tastes like

Ceci's own sheet gives the numbers behind the taste: 11% alcohol, 28 grams of sugar per litre and 6.7 grams of acidity. That is why it reads as soft and fruity, not sugary. Vivino's 351 written reviews mention red fruit most, then black fruit, with floral notes in the mix.

Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial (drinker and critic consensus)
Tasted on
10 September 2026
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Taste profile
Body Light / Full
Tannins Smooth / Grippy
Sweetness Dry / Sweet
Acidity Soft / Crisp
Nose

Cherry, blackberry and strawberry lead, the fruit Ceci's own tasting note names, with violet behind them. Vivino's 351 written reviews agree: red fruit is mentioned 200 times, black fruit 92 times and floral notes 13 times. The International Wine Challenge judges noted "charming floral aromatics".

VioletViolet
BlackberryBlackberry
BlackcurrantBlackcurrant
CherryCherry
RaspberryRaspberry
Red forest berriesRed forest berries
StrawberryStrawberry
SpicySpicy
Palate

Soft, fizzy and just off-dry. The 28 grams of sugar per litre on Ceci's sheet read as ripe fruit rather than sweetness, because 6.7 grams of acidity pull the other way. Tannin is light: the grapes get a short cold soak, then a fermentation in steel tanks. The IWC judges summed it up as a "juicy, frothy palate".

Finish

Ceci calls the close long and deep, with a pleasantly spicy note at the end. The bubbles are soft rather than sharp, the frothy style the IWC judges described.

Overall

This is Ceci's flagship, the wine the family named after its founder. Drinkers agree with the house: 4.0 on Vivino from 10,193 ratings, and a critic average of 89 out of 100 on Wine-Searcher. Drink it cold, young and with food. It is the soft, fruity face of Lambrusco.

Drink now Best by 2028
Live UK pricing

Where to buy Otello Nero di Lambrusco in the UK

Four shops list the standard 75cl bottle on 10 September 2026, from £13.50 at XtraWine to £25.60 at Hedonism. vino.com has it on offer at £14.10. All four show it in stock.

Best price · 75 cl £11.80 at xtrawine
Price spread £11.80 - £25.60 Across 5 UK retailers tracked
Retailers tracked 5UK 5 in stock
Per-litre (75 cl basis) £15.73 Per-litre price for the lowest current offer
Last checked 27 Sep 2026 Refreshed once every 24 hours
Wine fit score

How Otello scores: easiest for beginners, best for everyday drinking and food

Six scores out of ten, worked out from the producer's numbers and today's prices. Otello scores highest for beginners and everyday drinking: 11% alcohol, soft bubbles and £13.50 at the cheapest shop. Food is close behind, thanks to the acidity that cuts fat. It scores lowest for cellaring, because vino.com says drink it young.

Best intro to this style 9.2/10

Fruity, soft, off-dry, fizzy and 11% alcohol: one of the easiest red styles in Italy to like.

Best everyday bottle 8.6/10

Under £20 at three of the four shops, 11% alcohol and served fridge-cold: a weeknight wine.

Best with food 8.4/10

Acidity of 6.7 grams per litre, soft tannin and bubbles cut fat and match tomato; the touch of sugar limits it with delicate fish.

Best value 7.0/10

£13.50 at the cheapest UK shop for a wine with a Wine-Searcher critic average of 89 and over 10,000 Vivino ratings.

Best for an occasion 4.8/10

A party and aperitivo fizz rather than a prestige bottle: Emilia IGT, not a DOCG, and under £20 at most shops.

Best for cellar 1.5/10

A non-vintage wine meant to be drunk young; vino.com gives it five years at most.

Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.

Denomination Compliance Snapshot

Emilia / dell'Emilia in five fields

A compact view of what the Emilia / dell'Emilia denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.

Allowed grapes
Variety list not yet recorded
This bottle: Lambrusco.
Minimum ageing
Recorded by producer
Disciplinare ageing rule not yet recorded.
Region / area
Emilia Romagna
Style
IGT · Emilia / dell'Emilia
Classification
IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica)
What that means →
Vintages

Otello is sold without a vintage year

Ceci's sheet leaves the harvest line blank: Otello is sold without a year. Vino.com says it is meant to be drunk young: two to three years from harvest, and up to five with proper storage.

Not stated
Best price
£11.80
Retailers
4 in stock
ABV
11.0%
Window
Drink now through 2028

Non-vintage: Ceci's technical sheet leaves the harvest line blank. Drink it within two or three years of the harvest, as vino.com advises. It gives the wine five years at most with proper storage.

Not stated
Best price
£14.56
Retailers
1 in stock
Not stated
Best price
£11.80
Retailers
4 in stock
ABV
11.0%
Window
Drink now through 2028

Non-vintage: Ceci's technical sheet leaves the harvest line blank. Drink it within two or three years of the harvest, as vino.com advises. It gives the wine five years at most with proper storage.

Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.

The disciplinare, the place, the label

Emilia IGT: the label Otello carries and what it allows

Otello is labelled Lambrusco Emilia IGT, the region-wide label, rather than one of the Lambrusco DOCs such as Sorbara or Grasparossa di Castelvetro. That gives Ceci a free hand. The fizz comes from a second fermentation in a sealed steel tank, no oak is used, and the wine goes into Ceci's square bottle dressed in gold.

01

DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean

Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.

Emilia / dell'Emilia is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.

02

The denomination rules, in detail

  • Allowed grapes. Varieties not yet recorded
  • Tasting panel. No mandatory pre-release tasting
03

Region and area context

Emilia / dell'Emilia falls within Emilia Romagna.

Wine appellations of Emilia Romagna

Made at Cantine Ceci, Torrile.

04

Reading the label

  • Cantine CeciProducer / estate
  • LambruscoGrape varieties
  • Emilia / dell'Emilia IGTGeographic indication and quality tier
  • 11.0% volAlcohol by volume
05

What sits behind the price of Nero di Lambrusco IGT Emilia, Otello , Cantina Ceci

Tracked from
£11.80
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
3 up / 2 down
Main factor
Medals and scores lift Otello above supermarket Lambrusco
  1. 01

    Medals and scores lift Otello above supermarket Lambrusco

    Cost up

    Wine-Searcher averages 89/100 from seven critic scores and Vivino shows 4.0 from 10,193 ratings; Ceci lists an IWC gold and trophy in 2018 and a Concours Mondial gold in 2022. Demand like that holds the cheapest UK price at £13.50.

  2. 02

    Made fizzy in a sealed tank, not in the bottle

    Cost down

    Ceci's sheet gives the Martinotti method: the second fermentation happens in a sealed steel tank rather than bottle by bottle, and the wine sees no oak. Both keep the cost of making it down.

  3. 03

    Sold young, with no cellar time to pay for

    Cost down

    Otello is a non-vintage wine that vino.com says to drink within two or three years of harvest. So Ceci carries no ageing cost: no barrels and no years of stock resting in the cellar.

  4. 04

    UK duty and VAT on an 11% wine

    Cost up

    At the February 2026 rate of £30.62 per litre of pure alcohol, a 75cl bottle at 11% carries £2.53 of duty. Add 20% VAT and £4.78 of XtraWine's £13.50 is tax.

  5. 05

    A square bottle dressed in gold

    Cost up

    Ceci presents Otello in its own square bottle with gold decoration as the 1813 Edition. Special glass and dressing are a cost a plain Lambrusco bottle does not carry, so part of the price sits in the pack.

01

Medals and scores lift Otello above supermarket Lambrusco

Cost up

Wine-Searcher averages 89/100 from seven critic scores and Vivino shows 4.0 from 10,193 ratings; Ceci lists an IWC gold and trophy in 2018 and a Concours Mondial gold in 2022. Demand like that holds the cheapest UK price at £13.50.

Perfect Pairings

Dishes that go with this wine

Gnocco fritto on stoneware bowl with Flour, Lard, parmesan

Gnocco fritto
Calzone, plated

Calzone
Pizza Romana, plated

Pizza Romana
Pizza Fritta, plated

Pizza Fritta
Cotoletta alla Milanese on stoneware bowl with Bread Crumbs, Butter, Egg

Cotoletta alla Milanese
Food Pairing

Fat, salt and tomato: the food Otello is built for

Ceci's first suggestion is cured meat, and the reason is simple: 6.7 grams of acidity per litre and a full head of bubbles scrub the fat from Parma ham and coppa. The touch of sweetness also takes the edge off chilli, which is why a spicy pizza works.

Fat cutting Strong match

Cured meats and fried dough, the Parma way

Ceci's first suggestion is cured meat, and the wine is built for it. Its 6.7 grams of acidity per litre and lively bubbles scrub the fat of Parma ham, coppa and salami off the tongue, so each bite tastes fresh again. Gnocco fritto with cold cuts is the local way to serve it.

Try with: Gnocco fritto · Pizza Fritta · Focaccia · Prosciutto di Parma · More pairings →

Acidity matching Strong match

Tomato and meat pasta, lasagne and ragù

Tomato sauce is sharp, and a wine with less acidity than the sauce tastes flat beside it. Otello's acidity keeps up, and its soft red fruit sits well with slow-cooked meat. Ceci suggests well-built pasta and risotto. Vino.com names ragù and lasagne.

Try with: Lasagna · Ragu alla bolognese · Anelletti al forno · Calzone · More pairings →

Sweet balance Good match

Spicy pizza and chilli salami

The 28 grams of sugar per litre on Ceci's sheet do a job here. Sugar calms chilli heat, and cold bubbles cool the mouth. That is why an off-dry Lambrusco copes with a spicy pizza where a dry red tastes harsh.

Try with: Pizza Diavola · Pasta arrabbiata · Pizza Romana · Panzerotti · More pairings →

Salt balance Good match

Parmigiano and other hard, salty cheeses

Vivino's experts list mature and hard cheese as a top match. Salt makes a wine taste softer and fruitier, and Otello's red fruit and gentle sweetness answer the salt in Parmigiano Reggiano. Vino.com's classic pairing is Parmigiano with traditional balsamic vinegar.

Try with: Fonduta · Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Sciatt valtellinesi · Cheese board · More pairings →

Body matching Good match

Grilled pork, burgers and barbecue

Otello is low in alcohol at 11% and soft in tannin, so it does not fight grilled meat. Served cold, the bubbles work like a cold beer against pork fat and char, and the fruit meets the sweetness of a glaze. Ceci itself lists grilled meat.

Try with: Pulled pork · BBQ ribs · Roast pork · Pork belly · More pairings →

Avoid Clash

Delicate fish, oysters and very sweet desserts

A cold red with tannin, even soft tannin, turns metallic against oysters and plain white fish. At the other end, a pudding sweeter than the wine makes Otello taste thin and sour. Keep it for savoury food.

Skip with: Oysters · Sashimi · Nigiri Sushi · Cheesecake · Pairing guide →

Drinking + cellar

Drink Otello young; it is not a wine to keep

Vino.com says Otello is meant to be drunk young: two to three years, five at most with proper storage. Buy a case for the fridge, not the cellar. The square gold-dressed bottle is the 1813 Edition; Ceci also sells the same wine in a recyclable aluminium bottle under its For The Future line.

Drinking window
2026 → 2028

Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.

Decanting
Not needed

Pour it straight from the bottle.

Serving temperature
16-18°C

Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.

Cellar potential
Low

A non-vintage wine meant to be drunk young; vino.com gives it five years at most.

Buy now or wait?
Buy now

£11.80 for a 75cl bottle, at Xtrawine, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.

Sources & trust

Sources for this Otello page

Prices & stock

Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 27 Sep 2026, 02:16 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.

Confidence · High
Tasting notes

Drawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.

Confidence · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing

From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.

Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs

Our reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.

Confidence · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential

Style guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.

Confidence · Medium
Related

Otello's links: Ceci, Lambrusco, Emilia

Producer
Cantine Ceci Emilia Romagna
Grapes
Lambrusco
Denomination
Emilia / dell'Emilia IGT
Region
Emilia Romagna Region guide
Cuisine
Italian Cuisine 5 dishes paired

Common Questions

It is off-dry. Ceci's technical sheet lists 28 grams of sugar per litre, balanced by 6.7 grams of acidity, so it tastes fruity and soft rather than sugary. Vino.com notes a subtle sweetness on the finish.

Lambrusco, and nothing else. Ceci's sheet says simply Lambrusco; the shops that sell it, vino.com and Tannico, name the Maestri type.

Cold. Ceci says 8 to 10°C, straight from the fridge; vino.com and Tannico suggest 10 to 14°C. Drink it within two or three years of the harvest: vino.com says it is made to be drunk young.

Cured meats first: Parma ham, coppa and salami, because the bubbles and acidity cut the fat. Ceci also suggests hearty pasta and risotto, medium-aged cheeses and grilled meat; vino.com names ragù and lasagne. Pizza and gnocco fritto are natural matches too.

From £13.50 a bottle. On 10 September 2026 four shops listed it: XtraWine at £13.50, vino.com at £14.10 on offer, Eurowines at £16.61 and Hedonism at £25.60. All four had it in stock.

Yes, by most measures. Vivino rates it 4.0 from over 10,000 ratings and Wine-Searcher's critic average is 89 out of 100. The producer's awards list includes a gold medal and a trophy at the International Wine Challenge in 2018 and a gold at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in 2022.

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Nero di Lambrusco IGT Emilia, Otello , Cantina Ceci
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