Italian Sparkling Wines

Let there be no doubt, we love Champagne. Love it! But Champagne is not the only sparkling wine and there are a lot of fabulous alternatives. Italy has a good number of sparkling wines, which usually come with much lower price tags – not because they lack in quality but because Champagne is also a brand with lots of marketing dollars and history behind it. (Champagne is to sparkling wine what Rolex is to watches.) 
 
The general term for sparkling wine in Italy is Spumante, which translates as foaming. Spumante can be made via the “methode champenoise” (or traditional method where a second fermentation takes place in the bottle) or the “charmat method” (the tank method where carbon gas is injected into steel tanks). 
 
Probably the best-known Italian sparkling wine is Prosecco, made in the Veneto region. Produced using the charmat method and made from the Glera grape, Prosecco is known for its fresh, crisp flavors of apple, citrus and pear. 
 
Franciacorta is Italy’s answer to Champagne. Hailing from the Lombardy region, Franciacorta (pronounced: frahn-chah-KOR-tah) is an elegant, high-quality sparkling wine made using the traditional method, but with its own distinct Italian flair. It’s made primarily from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but small amounts of Pinot Blanc are allowed. It’s a wine full of zest, with flavors of white peach, almond and brioche with a creamy texture and crisp acidity. 
 
Lambrusco is a vibrant yet slightly sparkling (called frizzante) red wine. Lambrusco is fun and full of personality (very Italian) and made in the Emilia Romagna region by Lambrusco grapes, using the charmat method. It runs from dry to sweet and is known for aromas and flavors of cherry, raspberry and blackberry. (Pairing tip: try Lambrusco with pizza!) 
 
We’ll be pouring these fine examples of Italian bubbles as well as a few others on Saturday for our weekly tasting. We invite you to join us and hope you find a fun new alternative to Champagne. If not, we do have some great Champagne as well (including a new one, see below). 
 
Sparkling wines vary in sweetness. The sweetness level is determined by the dosage, or liqueur d’expedition, which is mix of wine and sugar added to the fermented wine after the winemakers remove yeast cells from the bottlenecks. The terms used to describe the sweetness level in sparkling wines can be confusing (extra brut, brut, dry, extra dry). Here’s a handy graphic from Wine Enthusiast to explain: 
 
Another term you’ll see on Italian sparkling wines is Millesimato. This is not a level of sweetness, it indicates that the wine has been produced with at least 85% of grapes from the same vintage.