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After nearly three decades in front of the camera, supermodel and entrepreneur Ashley Graham isn’t chasing another runway.
She’s chasing the perfect bottle of Lambrusco.
On a warm Thursday evening at Casadonna in Miami, I met Lucci Lambrusco co-founder Ashley Graham on the restaurant’s dreamy waterfront patio, where candlelit vines wrapped around pergolas, blush-pink skies melted into Biscayne Bay, and terrazo-marble floors reflected the last light of sunset. (It’s no wonder Casadonna was named New Times’ Best Romantic Restaurant in 2024.)
Photo by World Red Eye
Guests gathered around long wooden tables, rolled out pizza dough by hand, and raised glasses of sparkling red wine during the inaugural installment of Casadonna’s new waterfront pizza-making series. It felt unmistakably Miami.
But for Graham, the night wasn’t about modeling, being on the cover of ELLE Spain (casual), or attending the Met Gala (for the seventh year in a row, might I add). It was all about her love of sparkling Italian red wine.
Photo by World Red Eye
From the runway to the vineyard
“I’ve been modeling for almost 30 years,” Graham tells New Times. “I’ve been in the fashion industry for almost three decades. To be able to make something of my own and really put my blood, sweat, and tears into something, my own money into it… Like, this is my fourth child.” She laughs. “I have three little boys at home, and then I have little Lucci.”
Her affection for the brand is obvious. Unlike many celebrity alcohol launches, Lucci wasn’t born from a licensing deal or a marketing opportunity. Graham says it started because she genuinely couldn’t find the wine she loved drinking.
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“I’ve been drinking Lambrusco for the last ten years, and I haven’t been able to find it consistently at my local wine stores or my favorite restaurants,” she says. “I wanted to make something that was easily accessible, but also at a price where people could keep drinking it.” That sweet spot landed at $19.99 a bottle.
“Sometimes you look at a $40 bottle and think, ‘Is it worth it for tonight?’ And sometimes you want two bottles at dinner,” she explains. I mean, I get her. As someone who has spent years writing about Miami restaurants and who realizes how expensive they can be, that answer immediately resonated with me. Great wine shouldn’t feel intimidating or too expensive to casually enjoy on a weeknight. It should be something you actually want to order with dinner.
Photo by World Red Eye
A DM changed everything
The journey to creating Lucci started with one very modern move. “I ended up DMing a fifth-generation winemaker in Emilia-Romagna, Italy,” she explains. For those unfamiliar, Emilia-Romagna is the northern Italian region where authentic Lambrusco is produced.
Shortly after that single DM, Graham immersed herself in learning everything she could about the centuries-old sparkling wine. She studied the six different Lambrusco grape varieties, fermentation techniques, bottling, carbonation, and the history behind one of Italy’s most misunderstood wines. She even got the seal of approval to make it a Lambrusco.
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“Going there and learning about the Lambrusco grapes was incredible,” she says. “I learned in person that there are six different types of Lambrusco grapes. I now understand how they are fermented, and how they insert the fizz, and how they bottle it, and how it needs to sit on the shelf for a month.”
But she admits she didn’t know any of this before her wine journey. “I had no idea about any of that,” she says with a chuckle. “I just knew I liked the taste.” Then she laughs again. “I was like… should I buy a house in Emilia-Romagna?”
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Giving Lambrusco a second chance
For many Americans, Lambrusco still carries memories of the syrupy bottles that flooded the U.S. during the 1980s. Graham wants to rewrite that story, especially since she grew up with friends and family who were around in the ’80s loving the wine.
“It was the most imported wine in America in the ’80s,” she tells me. “But it was too sweet in the ’80s. Lucci is intentionally different. It’s dry, it’s acidic, and it’s semi-secco.”
That acidity, she says, makes it remarkably food-friendly. “It pairs so well with heavy pasta because the acidity cuts through it.” Pizza is the obvious choice, but Graham’s favorite pairings stretch far beyond Italy. “Korean barbecue is amazing with it. American barbecue. I just learned Portuguese people drink Lambrusco with pork roast in the fall and winter.” Then she smiles. “So maybe we need to go to Portugal!”
Plus, Graham notes it’s fun to make a mixed drink with the wine, like a Negroni Spagliato, a sangria, or a margarita. “It’s great in a mixed drink.”
Photo by World Red Eye
Casadonna and Lucci: The perfect pairing
There may not have been a prettier place to introduce Lucci than Casadonna. The restaurant has quickly become one of Miami’s most stunning waterfront dining destinations, and Thursday’s launch felt less like a promotional event and more like an Italian dinner party overlooking Biscayne Bay.
The historic 1926 waterfront Mediterranean-revival structure, which houses the restaurant on the first floor, was originally designed by architect August Geiger. Over the past few decades, it housed the Miami Women’s Club and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2023, Casadonna opened and was designed by renowned interior designer Ken Fulk.
Photo by World Red Eye
Plus, in addition to Casadonna’s beauty, Graham already feels at home in Miami. “I love coming to Miami because it’s so different than New York. It’s a little spicy, a little extra sexy.” Looking around Casadonna’s terrace, it’s hard to argue.
She’s also become a fan of several David Grutman restaurants under his Groot Hospitality umbrella, including Casadonna. “Oh, my God. I mean, anything Dave Grutman. I’m like, “Dave Grutman, I’m coming to all your restaurants! I’ve been here so many times. I love Casadonna.”
Graham is also a huge fan of Lucali in South Beach, which is a New Times favorite.
Photo by World Red Eye
More than another celebrity wine
The celebrity wine market isn’t exactly small these days. However, after spending time with Graham, what stood out wasn’t her brand or the few influencers in attendance at the pizza class (who were all lovely, by the way).
It was how much she wanted to talk about Lambrusco itself. She lit up discussing grape varieties, the fermentation process, and the Emilia-Romagna wine region in Italy. She wasn’t selling a brand nearly as much as she was sharing a drink she’s genuinely excited about.
Photo by World Red Eye
Even the name has meaning. “Lucci, with one C, means light in Italian,” she says. “I wanted something easy for Americans to say, but still Italian.” Then she grins. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘Can I get a bottle of Lucci?'” Or, as she affectionately calls it… “Luch.”
After nearly 30 years redefining beauty standards in fashion, Graham is now carving out a completely different legacy. One bottle of Lambrusco at a time.
Lucci Lambrusco is available in Miami at Bar Bucce, Lucali, and Casadonna, as well as at stores nationwide. For updates and a store locator, visit luccilambrusco.com.
Casadonna’s Pizza-Making Class. 1737 N. Bayshore Dr., First Floor, Miami; 305-475-2272; casadonnamiami.com. For info on the next class, sign up for alerts here.
