Sparkling Wines in Italy: Prosecco vs Spumante

Italian wines can be extremely confusing. Not only are there so many different grape varietals growing in Italy, but then the wines get even more confused with their regional differences, names, and qualifications. Is this a Super Tuscan, IGT, DOC, DOCG? Reds, whites, rosés and even sparkling! And within just the sparkling wines themselves, we see large variety.

And everyone loves a nice sparkling wine! They are the go-to vino we all use to celebrate a variety of occasions! New job? Baby on the way? Break out the prosecco! But wait — is that prosecco? Or just a spumante wine? Or is it a Lambrusco? Let’s take a look at the various sparkling wines in Italy, and learn just what is the difference between a spumante wine, and a prosecco.

Spumante

The word spumante simply means “sparkling”. It doesn’t necessarily tell us anything more about the wine itself. There can be sweet spumante or dry spumante. It really just means wine that is produced to be bubbly.

Some spumante wines you may have heard of include…

• Franciacorta: a spumante wine from Lombardy with DOCG status, produced using Pinot Noir, Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay with the Metodo Classico, the same traditional method used for Champagne, giving it fine bubbles and a creamy, complex character..
• Lambrusco: made from the grape of the same name, from Emilia Romagna or Lombardy. Famous for high acidity and berry flavors, slightly sweet and low in alcohol. Pairs beautifully with tortellini in brodo or bollito misto.
• Asti Spumante: Another DOCG, this wine is aromatic and sweet, and is made from the moscato grape. This spumante wine pairs nicely with fruit or chocolate as a desert. The related Moscato d’Asti is lightly sparkling with notes of honey, peach and orange blossom.

and of course, that special spumante: Prosecco.

Prosecco

Prosecco is a particular sparkling Italian wine, commonly compared with France’s Champagne. It is produced in Italy’s Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. The wine takes its name from the Italian village of Prosecco, near Trieste, where the grape and wine traditionally originate.

Prosecco is normally made with Glera grapes. It is classified as DOC, with the finest wines from the hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene reaching DOCG status. By 2014, Prosecco had astonishingly surpassed Champagne in global sales.

Unlike Champagne, Prosecco uses the Charmat-Martinotti method: the second fermentation takes place in large sealed stainless steel tanks, rather than in the bottle. Inside the tank, yeast and sugar are added to the base wine; as the yeast consumes the sugar, it releases carbon dioxide which dissolves into the wine, creating the characteristic bubbles. This process preserves Prosecco’s fresh, fruity aromas apple, pear, white flowers that would be lost in a longer bottle aging process.

Prosecco tends to be slightly sweeter than Champagne and is better young. Always buy the newest vintage.

Prosecco is classified by sweetness:

Brut up to 12 g/l, crisp and dry Extra Dry 12 to 17 g/l, balanced and the most classic style Dry 17 to 32 g/l, soft and fruity

Whereas spumante means sparkling, Prosecco itself can be spumante (fully sparkling), frizzante (semi-sparkling) or even still. So remember: spumante means any sparkling wine, whereas Prosecco is a wine from a particular grape that is usually spumante but not always.

No. True Champagne can only come from the Champagne region of France, produced using the Méthode Champenoise, second fermentation inside the bottle. Because of European Protected Designation of Origin laws, no producer outside that region can legally use the name Champagne.

Italian producers who use the same method must call their wines Metodo Classico. Italy’s Metodo Classico wines, Franciacorta, Trento DOC are world class in their own right.

The key difference: in Champagne and Metodo Classico wines, the second fermentation happens inside each individual bottle, creating finer bubbles and complex aromas of brioche from long aging on the lees. In Prosecco, the second fermentation happens in large tanks, a faster process that preserves the fresh, fruity character of the Glera grape.

A Quick Comparison of the Main Methods

Traditional Method (Metodo Classico): second fermentation in the bottle, minimum nine months aging on the lees, fine creamy bubbles, complex aromas. Examples: Franciacorta DOCG, Trento DOC.

Charmat-Martinotti Method: second fermentation in pressurized steel tanks, fresh and fruity, best drunk young. Examples: Prosecco DOC and DOCG, Lambrusco.

Asti Method: single fermentation stopped early, sweet and aromatic, low alcohol. Examples: Asti Spumante, Moscato d’Asti.

Ancestral Method (Pét-Nat or Col Fondo): one fermentation that finishes in the bottle, rustic and slightly cloudy, light bubbles. Examples: Prosecco Col Fondo, natural pét-nats.

Tuscany’s Sparkling New Wave

For decades, Tuscany has been the kingdom of red wines, Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile, Super Tuscans. But today, a growing number of Tuscan winemakers are crafting elegant Metodo Classico sparkling wines, often using Sangiovese in a delicate rosé form, aged for a minimum of three years on the lees.

These wines offer complexity and richness that rival the most esteemed sparkling wines of the world — and they speak a purely Tuscan language. On our wine tours from Florence, you may have the opportunity to taste some of these new-generation Tuscan sparkling wines alongside the region’s great reds.

Explore our Chianti wine tours from Florence: https://www.angelapersonaltuscantour.com/tour-category/group-wine-tours/ Our Brunello di Montalcino wine tour: https://www.angelapersonaltuscantour.com/wine-tours/brunello-di-montalcino-wine-tour/

How to Enjoy Sparkling Wine

Serve chilled at 6 to 8°C (43 to 46°F). Open gently, a soft sigh, not a loud pop.

Prosecco and Charmat-method wines pair beautifully with antipasti, bruschetta, light pasta dishes, and fresh vegetables. Their playful bubbles and fruity character make them ideal aperitivo wines.

Metodo Classico wines, Franciacorta, Trento DOC, Tuscan spumante, pair well with aged pecorino, risotto, truffle dishes, and more structured food.

For glassware: a tall flute highlights the bubbles and fresh aromas of Prosecco, while a wider tulip or white wine glass is better for complex Metodo Classico wines.

Cin Cin from Tuscany, with bubbles!