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Italian Sparkling Wines
Italian bubbly has long represented an underrated category of readily available and affordable drinking. However, given the rather liberal laws (or lack thereof) governing the production of Italian sparklers, take a minute to arm yourself with a few tidbits of wisdom to avoid the land mines and enjoy your fizz.
There are basically two different styles of Italian bubbly that you will encounter at your local store. The first, and probably the least stocked in the U.S., is frizzante which technically means slightly or semi-sparkling. These are Italy’s sparkling wines that you will find at the lower end of the price spectrum and ones that are frequently found in local bars and cafes in Italy. Usually they are made from local white grapes, although some red varieties will rear their head from time to time, and are made to be simple, affordable, lower in alcohol (7-10%), and above all easily drinkable. One only has to do battle with the throngs of tourists in the heat of the summer in Venice to appreciate the thirst quenching, blood pressure lowering qualities of a nice well chilled frizzante.
The other, and certainly the more serious style of Italian sparkling, is spumante, meaning sparkling. This is where it gets fun, as even among spumanti, styles and prices can run the gamut. To keep from getting lightheaded trying to remember even a quarter of the different types of fizz that you’ll encounter I recommend that you keep two names in mind: Prosecco and Franciacorta. These two zones alone will provide plenty of variety to keep your palate entertained and your friends impressed without breaking the bank.
Prosecco, which is the name of the grape itself, is grown in an area full of rolling hills due north of Venice in Italy’s northeastern corner. Simple enough right, name of grape equals name of wine? Not so fast. If there’s one Italian sparkler whose producers don’t want you going thirsty, it is Prosecco’s band of merry producers. They are so excited about the grape that they produce Prosecco in a gang of styles; spumante (brut and extra dry), frizzante, semi-sweet, and even still! But those of us that have not spent way too much time in the fermentation tanks are going to focus on the spumante. A well made Prosecco spumante will offer up restrained aromas of pears, apples, and minerals and will provide a crisp snap of refreshing acid in the mouth. Expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $18 for a very good bottle, any more and you’re helping pay for somebody’s beach home. The exception being for a special type of Prosecco named Cartizze whose grapes are grown in a small, steeply sloped growing area in the western part of the appellation. Cartizze produces splendidly elegant wines with profound aromas that, without fail, are always among the finest of Italy’s sparklers.
Franciacorta, which takes its name from the growing district located roughly 50 miles east of Milan, is where you’ll find the finest examples of Italian bubbly. Chardonnay, pinot nero, and pinot bianco are the selected triumvirate that are allowed into Franciacorta though many producers bottle single variety and even single vineyard versions as well. Perhaps most importantly, all Franciacorta is made in the traditional method of letting the wine ferment in the bottle; a process that demands patience and skill from any winemaker but whose reward is a wine possessing considerable depth and complexity. Franciacorta is oftentimes quick to impress with its creamy mouth feel and succulent aromas of honeysuckle and light toast. The best examples of Franciacorta can hold their own among the world’s top sparkling wines and solid examples can be found in the $30 a bottle price range. Franciacorta is one of the few wines that I would not hesitate to serve at dinner from start to finish.
I encourage you to visit a good Italian wine merchant that stocks several types of Prosecco and Franciacorta, invite over some friends, and see for yourself which style you prefer. I’m confident that you will find these sparkling wines gracing your table more and more as you realize their versatility as well as afford ability.
Todd Alexander, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, is the founder of Todissimo.com and the Italian Wine Report. To learn more about http://www.italianwinereport.com Italian wine find us at Todd Alexander’s Italian Wine Report.com
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