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Common term in Italy (spumare = to foam) for a quality sparkling wine. According to EU regulations, these must have a carbon dioxide pressure of at least 3 bar. Prosecco is often mistakenly used as a synonym for spumante or sparkling wine, but although this DOC wine is mainly produced as a sparkling wine, it is also produced as a still wine. There are many country-specific designations, but only two of them are protected. These are Champagne for products produced exclusively in the Champagne region of France and Cava in Spain.

Other non-proprietary names are Sekt (Germany, Austria) and Crémant (outside Champagne), which are also used in other countries. Sparkling or sparkling wines of lower quality are called Frizzante or Vivace in Italy (in German-speaking countries semi-sparkling wine); however, this name is also used in other countries. A complete list of all names can be found in the keyword sparkling wine.

Production

The production of a spumante produced by bottle fermentation (which is not mandatory) largely corresponds to that of a champagne or quality sparkling wine. A detailed description of sparkling wine production with all the obligatory and optional processing steps can be found under Champagne due to its historical significance.

DOC/DOCG sparkling wine

Italy is a traditional sparkling wine country, as sparkling wine is produced from many different grape varieties in around 100 DOC/DOCG zones. Around 300 million bottles are produced in Italy every year. It can range from dry to sweet and can be produced in white, rosé or red. Depending on the DOC/DOCG designation, tank fermentation, i.e. Méthode charmat (Metodo charmat or Metodo martinotti) and/or bottle fermentation (Metodo classico or Metodo tradizionale) are permitted.

Due to the countless sparkling wines with different production methods and qualities, some consortia (producer associations) avoid the term "spumante", which can have a pejorative connotation. As an alternative, the production method is mentioned in the name to emphasise bottle fermentation. This is because it is usually the only way to achieve optimum sparkling quality. Only in a few DOC/DOCG regulations is bottle fermentation exclusively authorised. These are, for example, Alta Langa, Asti, Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco, Franciacorta, Lambrusco, Trento Metodo Classico and Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG. There are also special, protected terms such as "Satén" (silk) for Franciacorta, "Cruasé" (rosé) for Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico and "Talento" (cross-regional producers' association).

Further information

See sugar content for the legal wine specifications from dry to sweet for still wines and sparkling wines. For information on the production of alcoholic beverages, see Champagne (sparkling wines), distillation (distillates), spirits (types), winemaking (wines and wine types) and wine law (wine law issues).

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The world's largest Lexicon of wine terms.

26,367 Keywords · 46,924 Synonyms · 5,323 Translations · 31,701 Pronunciations · 201,864 Cross-references
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