Prosecco, Franciacorta, and Champagne: the ABC of sparkling wines

06 April 2025

Prosecco or Franciacorta? Classic Method or Charmat? Either way, it’s all about bubbles. In 2024, exports reached 2.4 billion euros, marking an 8% increase over the previous year. Leading the way is Prosecco, which has now become a global phenomenon. But what exactly do we mean by “sparkling wine,” and above all, how is that fascinating effervescence created? The process that transforms still wine into sparkling wine is called “sparkling wine production” (spumantizzazione in Italian), and it’s what generates the carbon dioxide responsible for the bubbles. This happens through a second fermentation, which can take place either in the bottle or in pressurized tanks, resulting in very different sensory and production characteristics.

Brut or Dry? It’s a matter of sugar

One of the key distinctions in sparkling wines concerns the residual sugar content, meaning the amount of sugar remaining after the sparkling process. This parameter, often indicated on the label, directly influences the taste and food pairing of the wine. The main categories are:
-Brut Nature (or Pas Dosé): less than 3 g/l of sugar, with no added dosage. The driest of all.
– Extra Brut: between 3 and 6 g/l.
– Brut: up to 12 g/l, the benchmark for dry sparkling wine and the most common style.
– Extra Dry: between 12 and 17 g/l, slightly off-dry despite the name.
– Dry (or Secco): between 17 and 32 g/l.
– Demi-Sec: between 32 and 50 g/l, sweet.
– Doux: over 50 g/l, very sweet, ideal for desserts or after meals.

This classification applies to all sparkling wines, both Italian and international, and is a good starting point for choosing based on personal taste and food pairing preferences.

It’s a matter of Method

There are several methods for producing sparkling wine, each of which has a significant impact on the wine’s aromatic and sensory profile. The Classic Method, also known as the Champenoise Method, requires that the second fermentation take place directly in the bottle. This is a complex and lengthy process, involving steps such as tirage (adding sugar and yeast), the formation of bubbles, aging on the lees (which can last several years), riddling, and disgorging. The result is a structured, complex sparkling wine with fine, persistent bubbles.
The Charmat Method, or Martinotti Method, on the other hand, involves second fermentation in large stainless steel tanks under controlled conditions. This is a faster process, designed to highlight freshness, fragrance, and fruity aromas. It’s ideal for young, aromatic wines like Prosecco or Asti.
There’s also the Ancestral Method, the oldest of all: fermentation is stopped before completion, and the wine is bottled with its active yeasts still present. The secondary fermentation happens in the bottle without external additions, resulting in a more rustic and natural sparkling wine, often slightly cloudy.

Italian and French sparkling wines

In Italy, Prosecco reigns supreme. Produced in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia from Glera grapes, it uses the Charmat method to express freshness, lightness, and fruity aromas.
Asti Spumante, made from Moscato Bianco grapes, stands out for its natural sweetness and low alcohol content, making it perfect for desserts.
Among classic method wines, two names stand out. Franciacorta DOCG from Lombardy, made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc, offers an elegant and complex wine, perfect for those seeking premium bubbles. From Trentino comes Trento DOC, which delivers notes of apple and citrus with a creamy, persistent mousse.
While sparkling wines have become a flagship product of Italian winemaking (and have spread worldwide—countries like Chile, South Africa, and New Zealand now produce excellent sparkling wines using both the classic and Charmat methods), for many years this type of wine was primarily associated with France. Champagne is undoubtedly the most famous classic method sparkling wine in the world, produced exclusively in the Champagne region from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes. It is a symbol of luxury and celebration, featuring notes of dried fruit, yeasty complexity, minerality, and great structure.
An interesting alternative is crémant, French sparkling wines produced outside of Champagne (in Alsace, Burgundy, Loire, etc.), but still using the classic method and with great attention to quality.