Bollicine di Primavera: Italy's Finest Sparkling Wines

Italian sparkling wines at one point in time may have been remembered and enjoyed as being something sweet and sparkling to be enjoyed during a celebratory event.  The Prosecco of the past was something fizzy that didn’t maybe spark much interest and don't even get me started on Lambrusco and what that was known for.  Italy’s history of Italian bubbly was nowhere what it is today.The game has changed! 

The many sparkling wines of Italy 

Today, Italian sparkling wines are some of the most exciting wines in the bubbly world of wine.  From the bone dry Franciacortas of Lombardy that rival some of the best champagnes of France, to the variety of Lambrusco from Emilia Romagna, to the prestigious destinations for Prosecco including Asolo and Conegliano Valdobbiadene. Don’t forget about some of the others to include Trento DOC from the Trentino region, Alta Langa from Piedmont, those from the Oltrepo Pavese in Lombardy to name a few.   

In addition what I think has also stepped up the attention of these wines is the use of some of these beverages in the many mixed cocktails.  Italy has always been known for its aperitivo, but new generations are experiencing spritz driven beverages using Italy’s sparkling wines in a variety of ways. 

Italian sparkling wines are increasing in popularity and Prosecco is leading the pack.  In the first half of 2025, Gambero Rossi stated that Italian sparklers, led by Prosecco, are dominating sales for sparkling wines by volume totaling about $1 billion.  They even mention that Prosecco has a slight edge over Champagne in the US market as well with Asolo and Conegliano Valddobiadene showing sustaining growth. 

Prosecco wine map copyright of Wine Scholar Guild

The Wines 

I’ve been meaning to share some of these wines for some time so I’m excited about this month’s theme.  Today we’ll take a look into Prosecco in particular highlighting those from the Asolo and Valdobbiandene Conegliano designations and a special treat from the Oltrepo Pavese. 

Oltrepo Pavese Sparkling Wine 

The Oltrepo Pavese is the largest wine appellation in the Lombardy region of northern Italy.  The Oltrepo’s primary grape is Pinot Nero and like today’s wine that I’m sharing, the sparkling wines from here are made using the classic method similar to Champagne known as metodo Classico. 

The wine I'm sharing today comes from La Versa, which was founded in 1905 by Cesare Gustavo Faravelli.  This is a cooperative in La Valle Versa working with around 20 wine growers and farmers.  Sparkling wine production is very important to this winery’s success and their first traditional method sparkling wine that they produced was in 1935.  The winery was later acquired by the Terrie d’Oltrepo Group in 2017 and is now one of the large cooperatives in northern Italy with over 660 members covering 1,200 acres. 

I’m sharing the La Versa” Collezione Metodo Classico Oltrepo Pavese DOCG Brut which is made from 85% Pinot Nero and 15% Chardonnay.  Yes, you read that right, 2007!  This wine shockingly spends close to 11 years on its lees!  With citrus and yeasty notes this wine had citrus on the palate with a slight bitterness, almost citrus pith like, along with a tingly, touch of salinity on the finish.  13%  

 

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco  

All the Prosecco I’m sharing today are made from 100% Glera grapes, which is the primary grape used in producing Prosecco.  The Conegliano Valdobbiadene appellation of the Veneto is probably the best-known appellation for producing high quality Prosecco.  Not too far north of Venice, about 30 miles, is where you will find this particular territory, and it sits within the Trevino province just south of the Dolomite mountain range.  This is also a UNESCO heritage site, and its steep slopes are quite the site.  As one that experiences it would imagine, these grapes are manually selected and hand harvested.   

I won’t dig too much into Bellenda since this is a winery and wine that I have shared several times here on Vino Travels, although It's a hard wine not to enjoy so I’m including another vintage that I haven’t covered. 

The 2022 Bellenda San Fermo Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut has floral aromas with citrus, apple and pear.  Dry, clean, crisp and refreshing on the palate with lemon citrus and apple notes.  A beautiful mousse with nice salinity on the finish. 11.5% 

I also tasted a wine From Vinicolla Tesini also in one of the communes of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene, in Vittorio Veneto.  The owner Davide Tesini, an Italian American, started this winery after finding the family vineyards later in his life as an adult in Vittorio Veneto where his grandparents were from. 

The Vinicollina Tesini ”Venti22due” Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry.  At the Extra Dry level this wine has about 12-17 grams of residual sugar.  Lemon citrus aromas.  Medium-bodied on the palate, dry and crisp with citrus pith notes along with tart green apple.  Nice sanity mid palate through to the finish with a lengthy finish. 11% 

Asolo Prosecco 

The Asolo Prosecco appellation became a DOCG in 2009 and set in the Colli Asolani hills between the town of Asolo itself and Cornuda. 

La Gioiosa means “joyous” and takes its name after the name of the Treviso province, Marca Gioiosa et Amorosa, meaning joyous and loving land.  The winery officially started in 1974 when the family established the winery, but the grandfather of current president, Giancarlo Moretti Polegato, purchased the land back in the 1920’s.  The winery today is a large cooperative made up of over 600 farmers with many of them having been working together for decades.  They are a leader in being environmentally friendly using the nearby Piave River as an energy source for their hydroelectric power. 

The 2022 La Gioiosa et Amorosa Millesimato Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry is medium-bodied with a nice airiness to the weight of the wine.  Ripe apple notes with beautiful crispness, fine mousse and salinity towards the finish.  ABV 11% 

Pairings with Italian sparkling wines 

Many of the wines shared today can be enjoyed in various capacities. They are joyous on their own as an aperitif or as a starter with either a salad or a nice charcuterie of cheeses and cured meats.  They’re a natural accompaniment to seafood dishes or can be paired with vegetable based dishes.  They also can be enjoyed with fresh fruit juice as an apertivo, think aperol spritz or the many various versions created today. 

Join the rest of our Italian sparkling wine writers as they explore the variety throughout Italy

• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles will feature “San Fermo Prosecco by Bellenda with Roasted Beech Mushrooms, Cheesy Polenta, and a tarragon, basil, lemon/pesto" 
• Camilla from Culinary Cam will be taking a look at “Beyond Prosecco: Exploring Other Italian Bubbles”  
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm is “Celebrating our Anniversary with a Hugo Spritz” 
• Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog is sharing "Rethinking Lambrusco: A Metodo Classico Surprise from Cantina della Volta"
• Cathie from Side Hustle Wino is highlighting "Lambrusco-A 21st Century Look at a Century's Old Wine"

Other sparkling wines of Italy to explore 

• Sparkling Wines from the Alta Langa with Borgo Maragliano 
•  Brachetto: The Sweet, Red Bubbly of Piedmont 
• Cantina Vignaioli Wines of the Maremma Paired with Acquacotta 
• A Sweetness of of Moscato d’Asti with Ca’d’Gal Wines 

Also, if you’re not familiar between the differences between the charmat and metodo classico methods you can learn more about these two sparkling wine methods used in Italian sparkling wine production. 

I've recently partnered with a company Wandering whom has partnerships with wineries all throughout Italy.  They offer some sparkling wine tours in this region to check out if you find yourself venturing to the land of Prosecco.

• From Vine to Glass: Premium Prosecco Tasting at Fasol Menin 
• Tasting of Valdobbiadene DOCG with Ciccheti at Il Casale Wine Experience 

You can find many sparkling wines from around Italy on Wine.com to try.  

I may receive compensation for any wines or trips purchased through the affiliate link in support of Vino Travels. 

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.

Sparkling Wines from the Alta Langa with Borgo Maragliano

After a couple week hiatus due to wonderful family vacation on a Disney cruise of the western Caribbean, I'm ready to share a recent tasting I had a couple months back including sparkling wines from Borgo Maragliano.  This winery is located in the sparkling wine area of ​​​​Piedmont in northwestern Italy known as the Alta Langa.  They are based in Loazzolo, close to Asti.  We tasted through 6 sparkling wines  mostly based on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and one from the Riesling grape.  Let's explore!

The winery – Borgo Maragliano

The husband and wife owners, Carlo and Silvia Galliano, run Borgo Maragliano along with 2 of their 3 sons.   Carlo is also the winemaker and his wife handles the hospitality portion of their business.  They own about 108 acres in the Alta Langa, which is close to the seaside and therefore has the Ligurian Sea influence and winds over their vineyards.  The winery is situated at about 1,475 feet on steep Langhe hills with the vineyards at about 2,000 feet above sea level.  Their focus is on 4 grapes in particular, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Moscato.  The Moscato grape Carlo shared is the king grape of this particular area in the Alta Langa.  

Galliano family

The Alta Langa is an area of ​​southern Piedmont known for producing sparkling wines made in the traditional method style, known as the traditional method, with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle.  This is the way in which Borgo Maragliano produces their wines.  Canelli, a municipality in the Asti province of Piedmont, was the first in Italy to use this popular methodology and experiment with it.  Specifically the producers, Carlo Gancia and Conterno, were influential in the beginnings of using the classic style method. 

Carlo explained how they use selected yeasts from France and  use organic practices in their vineyards.  Their soil is meager and poor that gives great acidity to their wines allowing them to stay fresh and be ageworthy.  He discussed what he calls the “pedoclima” as a major factor in the influences of their wines.  This pedoclima is a combination of their altitude, soils and climate.  They have large diurnal temperature swings of 23-24 degrees.

The wines

I'll share the wines I tasted in order of my personal preference.  Most of these wines are named after members of the family.  I didn't find the bubbles to be too bright and bubbly, which for me was great since I'm not a huge sparkling wine fan. 

The 2018 Borgo Maragliano Dogma Blanc de Noirs Bruit Nature Millesime is made from 100% Pinot Noir.  The wine matured for 48 months on the yeast.  They explained this vineyard as a difficult one and Carlo chose the name “dogma” as a strong word to represent the passion and determination to make these wines.  Aromas of butter and vanilla along with some stone fruit.  This wine was rounder on the palate and fuller bodied than the others with a touch of salinity on the finish. SRP $72

The 2018 Borgo Maragliano Giuseppe Galliano Brut Nature Millesime was the first sparkling wine they made in 1987 that is dedicated to Carlo's father.  They started making 1,400 bottles with the 1^st vintage and today make about 8,000-9,000 bottles.  Made from 80% Pinot Noir for body and 20% Chardonnay for elegance from 35 year old vines.  This wine spends 4 years in the bottle and has 0% sugar.  Yeasty aromas with a slight toastiness.  It's dry on the palate with lemon pith and salinity on the finish. SRP $55

The 2019 Borgo Maragliano Giovanni Galliano Brut Rosé Millesime is a rosé made from 100% Pinot Noir.  This wine is named after the great grandfather and one of their sons of him.   The juice contact with the skins lasted about 2-4 hours creating a soft pale pink wine in the glass.  This wine spends 14 months on the lees and had a fine perlage.  A fruity red fruit based nose mostly of strawberries and raspberries with a touch of strawberries delicately showing up on the palate. SRP $57

The Borgo Maragliano Germana Beltrame Brut Nature S.A. IV Editione is named after Carlo's mamma.  Made from 100% Chardonnay from single vineyards across 6 vintages between 2013 and 2018.  This is their only non-vintage cuvee.  Fresh apples with a slight buttery aroma with soft bubbles on the palate. SRP $69

The 2019 Borgo Maragliano Federico Galiano Blanc de Blancs Brut Alta Langa DOCG is made from 100% Riesling, a clone of the Rheingau.  This is named after another of the sons.  The soils of these vineyards are about 85-90% limestone, which Carlo described as these wines showing an intensive mandarin nose and producing a wine that is clean and direct.  This wine did have intense aromas of petrol and pear.  The bubbles were small and quickly dissipated. SRP $72

The 2019 Borgo Maragliano Francesco Galliano Blanc de Blancs Brut Alta Langa DOCG is made from 100% Chardonnay named after their 2^nd child.  The grapes come from a single vineyard planted in 1983.  The soils contains 40% limestone, a white soil that absorbs the water.  This wine spends 34 months maturing on the yeasts.  This wine showed notes of grapefruit pith showing a slight bitterness along with yellow flowers. SRP $50

Have you tried the sparkling wines of the Alta Langa?

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are always my own.

Settecani Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Paired with Emilia Romagna Specialties

When you think about the wines from Emilia Romagna which wines do you think of?  Personally, I think of Lambrusco.  I’m not talking about the low-quality, overproduced, old-school Lambrusco from the 70’s and 80’s that set the negative image for Lambrusco that some may remember today.  Lambrusco has come a long way since those days with various clones of Lambrusco showing different characteristics in the wine and various levels of residual sugars from dry to sweet.  Today I’m going to share a wine from Cantina Settecani from the Grasparossa di Castelvetro area along with a suggested pairing. 

What is Lambrusco? 

Lambrusco is a slightly sparkling, frizzante, red wine grown in the north central region of Emilia Romagna.  It’s a wine that is fresh and meant to be enjoyed young and chilled.  It’s typically light to medium-bodied, fruity with soft tannins and medium to high acidity.  There are several Lambrusco clones, which all show a different side of Lambrusco.  The Lambrusco Reggiono DOC is an all-encompassing DOC throughout the region.  Lambrusco di Sorbara is lighter in color and is more floral and fragrant than the others.  Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro has the most body, color, tannin and richer fruits.  Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce  

You can find Lambrusco produced in a number of sweetness levels from dry (secco), semi-dry (semisecco), semi-sweet (amabile) and sweet (dolce). It’s all personal preference, but the Lambrusco of today is known for their drier style versions versus those of the sweet styles of the past.  

The Winery – Settecani 

Settecani is a cooperative in the Emilia Romagna region founded in 1923 by 48 farmers. Today the coop is comprised of over 200 farmers mostly from the areas of Castelvetro, Castelnuovo Rangone and Spilamberto. The winery is located south of Modena in the village of Settecani, from which it takes its name. Legend has it that the name Settecani derives from a time when a priest transformed 7 men into dogs that were using the lords name in vain.  

Cantina Settecani

The farmers pay strong attention to producing sustainable wines and in 2016 became certified through VIVA, viticulture impact assessment on the environment. These farmers not only produce grapes, but take care of livestock, pigs, fruits and vegetables to produce many of the treats from this region like parmeggiano and prosciutto. They live and breathe in the fields in which they work and live so it's important to these growers to take care of the land.  

Settecani grows grapes on over 740 acres of land with each grower tending to about 3.5-4 acres more or less. On average most of the vineyards sit at about 980 feet above sea level. They produce only sparkling wines, and their main production of Lambrusco is based on Lambrusco Grasparosso di Castelvetro, but they do work with some of the other Lambrusco clones. 

What is unique about the Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro? 

The Lambrusco Grasparossa grapes that are used in the production for the Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC are grown a few miles south of Modena around the town of Castelvetro. Thirteen communes make up this DOC on flat land that is rich in minerals and is rather fertile. The Lambrusco Grasparossa grapes produce Lambrusco that carry more color in the glass, more tannin with a higher alcohol, a fuller body and darker fruits. They tend to be more purple in color and can carry aromas of strawberries, black cherries, plums and violets. One of the regulations to be labeled under this DOC is that the wine must consist of at least 85% of the Lambrusco Grasparossa grapes with up to 15% of the other Lambrusco varieties along with Malbo Gentile.  

The Wine 

Since I never have time to prepare too far in advance for these posts, I ran to the local liquor store and didn’t have too much selection when I wanted to choose a Lambrusco. I saw one at Trader Joe’s recently, but decided to forego it as I wanted one from one of the DOCs. My only option at this liquor store was Riunite, a hard no, and my selection of the Cantina Settecani Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro. I was glad this was an option as I wanted the Lambrusco Grasparossa in particular for its body and fruit along with some tannin. I was hoping for a secco or semisecco, but this version was an amabile.  

Although I didn’t find the tech sheet on this wine, I did find a video where the winemaker mentions that this wine spends a passage in cement tanks to create balance in the wine. They use the charmat method, or known as tank method, which is where the secondary fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. You can read my previous article on the charmat method in comparison with metodo classico. 

The Cantina Settecani Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC Amabile is ruby in color with purplish hues. The aromas lean towards a grapey nose with blueberry jam, ripe raspberries and violets. This was a very lightly sparkling wine that had a medium acidity giving the wine a tingle until the finish. A round sweetness on the palate of grape, blueberries and blackberries. Soft tannins near the short finish. Overall a refreshing wine and a perfect sipper if you like a tinge of sweetness and bubbles. ABV 8%, SRP $12.99 

What food should I pair with Lambrusco? 

Emilia Romagna is one of the most gastronomic places throughout Italy, but of course each region in Italy all has their own specialties that are unique to each region.  In the states we enjoy many of the culinary delights of Emilia Romagna including Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, and authentic balsamic vinegar di Modena (aceto balsamico di Modena).  There is also an abundance of pork and sausage in dishes such as cotechino, which is a slow cooked sausage, and zampone, a pig hoof stuffed with sausage. 

Emilia Romagna is also known for many pasta dishes produced from pasta sfoglia, hand-rolled dough made from eggs and flour.  Pasta sfoglia is used to create some of Emilia Romagna’s well-known pasta dishes such as lasagne, tortellini, tagliatelle, ravioli and cappelletti from the region. 

The nice thing about Lambrusco is the variety of styles that are produced from the various clones and terroirs that allow it to pair with a variety dishes.  Lambrusco goes fantastic with a charcuterie (throw in some figs), but you can also pair it with pizza.  For Lambrusco that is more aromatic, like Lambrusco di Sorbara, you can pair it with spicy foods.  Heavier dishes and fattier meats will stand up better to Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro.   

I enjoyed a nice pre-meal drink and pairing, or aperitivo as the Italians say, with the Cantina Setticani Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro and bread topped with prosciutto and a bit of parmigiano reggiano dabbled with some aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena that I bought from Acetaia di Giorgio when I visited them.  The saltiness of the prosciutto and parmigiano reggiano balanced nicely with the sweetness in the wine. It made it even more enjoyable! They were the perfect balance in body to one another.

They always say, “what grows together goes together” and it's so true as you travel throughout all the regions of Italy.  I always eat and drink whatever originates from the region in which I am visiting.  I’m not sure if the wine was made for the food or the food was made for the wine, but in many of the regions they create perfect harmony. 

You can find other Lambrusco wines on Wine.com.  This wine is imported by Monsieur Touton.

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*I may receive commissions if any wines are purchased directly from the above site to support the operations of Vino Travels.