From Cava to Prosecco and Champagne, sparkling wine is the tipple of choice for everyday celebrations
No longer reserved solely for special occasions like birthdays or Christmas, they’re a particularly good pairing when it’s sunny out, whether a picnic, barbecue or anything in between.
Usually lower in alcohol than most wines and spirits, fizz provides a lighter, brighter alternative to other serves. But have you heard of spumante before?
What is spumante wine?
Referring to Italian sparkling wine and meaning ‘foaming’, they’re made from any grape with the addition of carbon dioxide to give them an intense fizz. They they can be enjoyed in white, red or even rosé varieties.
It’s important to note not all spumante is Prosecco and not all Prosecco is spumante, as the production area of Prosecco is very specific for it to be defined as such. Sparkling wine made in Italy’s northern Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions can be called Prosecco.
As with other sparkling, there are varying levels of sweetness when it comes to spumante, from extra brut and brut to demi-sec and doux, meaning there’s something for every palate.
We rather like it as an aperitif – it’s divine with a plate piled high with canapés – or even mixed into a cocktail at brunch (mimosa or bellini, anyone?). But the experts say it’s cracking when used in desserts to give them a slight effervescence. Worth a try, perhaps?
Marco Cervellera, enologist (wine-maker) at Fattoria La Vialla, a sustainable and biodynamic family-run farm in Tuscany that delivers to the UK, says: “Sparkling wine, or spumante, is the result of refermentation of a base wine in a sealed environment. The sealed environment, be it bottle or tank, causes the carbon dioxide produced during refermentation to remain trapped, which in turn makes it sparkling.
Sparkling wine can be made using the Charmat Method, fermented in pressurised tanks known as autoclaves, or the Traditional Method, refermented directly in the bottle. In order to referment wine, you normally add sugar, but it’s also possible to use the so-called Ancestral Method, in which the grape must be stored in tanks at low temperatures and fermented directly using only sugar contained in the grapes to create the bubbles.”
He adds: “The bouquet of sparkling wine varies depending on its type and period of ageing or resting and refermentation on the lees it undergoes.
In general, Charmat Method sparkling wines are fresher and fruitier, while Traditional Method wines, which normally age on their lees for years, are characterised by aromas of brioche and bread with fruity and citrus notes.
The popularity of sparkling wine is growing because they appeal to a wide audience. Traditionally associated with parties and special occasions, today they are enjoyed in everyday situations and with all types of food, not just for toasts at the end of a meal. They’re also frequently used in cocktails. Their fresh and lively taste, together with the fact that their alcohol content is not overly high, contribute to the continuing increase in consumption.”
So, next time you reach for a sparkling, remember, it doesn’t have to be the usual suspects – a spumante might just be your new best friend this summer.
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Biancavigna Prosecco DOC Spumante Brut NV
Hailing from a family-wine winery in Prosecco, northern Italy, Biancavigna Prosecco DOC Spumante Brut NV fizzes with aromas of pear and melon teamed with flavours of crisp and refreshing apple. Beautifully balanced with fine bubbles, this is a premium pick.
Buy now £15.50, Amathus Drinks
La Gioiosa ‘Ca’ Divo’ Spumante Veneto
You may recognise the La Gioiosa name on the label of some of your favourite Proseccos. Luckily, the wine-makers bring their same expertise to this spumante with fresh and fruity apple and pear flavours. A vibrant fizz makes it visually pleasing in the glass.
Buy now £8.99, Majestic
Pizzolato No Added Sulphur Organic Prosecco Spumante
This bottle is positively bursting with crisp apple and fresh citrus flavours with white floral notes and an enticing mineral finish. A refreshing and elegant addition to your wine fridge.
Buy now £16.50, Ocado
M&S La Vita Spumante
Expect fresh pear aromas and delicate citrus flavours from La Vita Spumante by trusty Marks and Sparks. Brilliant for a barbecue.
Buy now £6.50, Ocado
Asti D.O.C.G. Vino Spumante
A corker for under a fiver, Asti is famously sweet in fragrance and flavour with characteristics of grape, melon and peach. It’s made from purely Moscato Bianco grapes in the Piedmont region of Italy and is excellent served chilled with chips and dip.
Buy now £4.49, Aldi
Giordano Spumante ‘Olla’ Ribolla Gialla
Straw-yellow in colour, this spumante is a versatile bottle that works just as well by itself as it does with fresh seafood. Floral aromas give way to white rose, acacia, wisteria and citrus flavours. Lipsmackingly refreshing.
Buy now £10.99, Giordano
Forchir Ribolla Gialla Spumante Brut Fruili DOC
Made from Ribolla Gialla – a grape variety native to Italy’s north-east – this spumante boasts fine and persistent bubbles with floral and fruity aromas. Flavour-wise, it’s fresh and savoury, underpinned by a thirst-quenching minerality. Sublime.
Buy now £12.99, Majestic
Halfpenny Classic Cuvée 2015
Deep golden in the glass and seriously refined on the palate, this sparkling white is fizzing with honeyed brioche and orchard-fruit flavours. That’ll be because it’s spent over six years on the lees to enrich and deepen its flavour. One for when you want to pull out the big guns.
Buy now £28.75, Halfpenny
