A guide to Italian sparkling wine: Prosecco, Franciacorta, Lambrusco, Moscato d'Asti and more, with how each is made and
A guide to Italian sparkling wine: Prosecco, Franciacorta, Lambrusco, Moscato d'Asti and more, with how each is made and how to pick a bottle.
Italy makes more sparkling wine than any other country. The range is wide. It runs from crisp, easy Prosecco to rich, cellar-aged Franciacorta, and from fruity red Lambrusco to gently sweet Moscato d'Asti. If you only know Champagne, Italy offers new flavors and grapes, often for much less money.
This guide covers every major style, explains how the bubbles get there and helps you choose the right bottle.
The method is the quickest way to understand why a bottle tastes the way it does.
The second fermentation, which makes the bubbles, happens inside each bottle. The dead yeast cells stay in contact with the wine for months or years. This gives a creamy texture, toasty notes and fine, lasting bubbles. Champagne uses the same method. In Italy, the flagship examples are Franciacorta and Trento DOC.
The second fermentation takes place in large sealed tanks. The wine is then filtered and bottled under pressure. This keeps the fresh fruit aromas. It also takes weeks instead of years, which keeps costs and prices much lower. Prosecco is the classic example.
This is the oldest method. The wine is bottled before the first fermentation is finished, so the gas is trapped naturally, with no added sugar (dosage). The wine is often cloudy, low in alcohol and yeasty. Lambrusco col fondo and some small Prosecco producers use this method.
No Italian sparkling wine has traveled further or faster than Prosecco. It is made from the Glera grape in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. It makes up most of Italy's sparkling wine exports to the United States.
The best Prosecco comes from the steep hillside vineyards of Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Conegliano DOCG, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chalky soils, steep slopes and a cool climate give wines with a real mineral bite, not the simple sweetness of mass-market bottles. Look for single-vineyard Rive wines or the prized Superiore di Cartizze, from a small 107-hectare zone above Valdobbiadene.
Prosecco labels show three sweetness levels:
Most casual drinkers reach for Extra Dry without knowing it has some sugar. Good Valdobbiadene DOCG bottles cost $15–$25 in shops, which makes Prosecco one of the best-value sparkling wines anywhere. For our picks, see the best Prosecco wines guide.
Food pairings: Prosciutto di Parma, fresh mozzarella, light antipasti, raw oysters and, as the classic Italian aperitivo, Aperol Spritz.
If Prosecco is Italy's everyday bubble, Franciacorta is its special-occasion wine. It comes from Lombardy, on glacial soils south of Lake Iseo. Franciacorta DOCG uses the traditional method with long aging on the yeast: at least 18 months for non-vintage wines and 30 months for vintage wines.
The main grapes are Chardonnay and Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), and Pinot Bianco is also allowed. Leading producers include Ca' del Bosco, Bellavista and Berlucchi. All three have invested heavily in careful farming and modern cellars.
Ca' del Bosco's Annamaria Clementi spends nearly a decade on the yeast. It is often compared to top Champagne, but it costs much less: usually $60–$90, against $120–$200 for a similar Champagne.
Franciacorta comes in several styles: Satèn (a softer, all-white-grape style), Rosé, Vintage and Riserva. The wines tend to taste of brioche and toasted hazelnut, with bright acidity and a lasting fizz. These notes come from the long time on the yeast.
To compare it with Champagne on value and style, see our Prosecco vs Champagne guide, which also covers Franciacorta. Our best Franciacorta wines list picks bottles at every price.
Food pairings: Risotto alla Milanese, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, roast veal and rich seafood dishes.
For decades, Lambrusco was written off as cheap, sweet and not serious. That was mostly due to mass-market imports in the 1970s and 1980s. Today it is a very different wine.
Emilia-Romagna's Lambrusco DOC wines range from bone-dry and tannic to fruity and semi-sweet. They are made from several Lambrusco varieties, including Sorbara, Grasparossa and Salamino.
Look for producers like Lini 910, Cleto Chiarli and Vittorio Graziano. Their wines have nothing in common with the Riunite of decades past.
At $12–$20, good Lambrusco is great value, especially with food. Our best Lambrusco wines guide covers the top bottles in the US market.
Food pairings: Salumi, piadina, mortadella, pasta Bolognese and, perhaps surprisingly, pizza. The acidity and light tannin cut through fat.
Both wines are made from the Moscato Bianco grape in Piedmont's Langhe hills, but they differ in style.
Neither wine has a second fermentation. Instead, a single, cool fermentation takes place in a sealed tank, which traps the gas. It is stopped before all the sugar turns into alcohol. This keeps the natural sweetness and the grape's aromas.
These are great wines for dessert or brunch, and they deserve more respect than they get. Prices run from $12 to $20. La Spinetta, Vietti and Paolo Saracco set the quality standard.
Trento DOC comes from the Dolomite foothills of Trentino. It makes traditional-method sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, Pinot Bianco and Meunier. The mountain climate, with warm days and cold nights, keeps the acidity fresh and builds aroma.
Ferrari Trento is the leading producer. Its wines are served at Italian state dinners and on Formula One podiums. Its Perlé Blanc de Blancs and Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore (aged for many years on the yeast) are top examples of Italian metodo classico outside Franciacorta. Expect to pay $20–$35 for good entry-level Ferrari bottles and $100+ for the Giulio Ferrari Riserva.
Alta Langa DOCG is Piedmont's traditional-method rival to Franciacorta. It is made from Pinot Nero and Chardonnay grown high up, at 250 meters or more. Every Alta Langa is a vintage wine. It must spend at least 30 months on the yeast, and 36 months for Riserva, which matches the rules for top Champagne.
Outside expert circles, Alta Langa is still one of Italy's least-known quality sparkling wines. That means prices ($25–$50) have not caught up with quality. Producers like Enrico Serafino and Contratto are quickly building a name.
Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG lies south of the Po River in Lombardy. It makes traditional-method wines from Pinot Nero, and the area has one of Italy's largest Pinot Noir plantings. The wines are firm and food-friendly. They are rarely seen outside Italy and are well priced for curious buyers.
| Style | Typical US Retail | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Prosecco DOC | $10–$15 | Charmat |
| Prosecco DOCG (Valdobbiadene) | $15–$25 | Charmat |
| Lambrusco | $12–$20 | Tank / Ancestral |
| Moscato d'Asti | $12–$20 | Single fermentation |
| Trento DOC | $20–$35 | Traditional |
| Alta Langa DOCG | $25–$50 | Traditional |
| Franciacorta DOCG | $35–$90 | Traditional |
| Non-vintage Champagne | $45–$80 | Traditional |
| Prestige Champagne | $100–$300+ | Traditional |
Italian sparkling wine is clearly better value than Champagne, especially Franciacorta and Alta Langa. Few wine professionals would argue otherwise.
Production rules and official information from the consortia of the wines in this guide: