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"

• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm is “Celebrating our Anniversary with a Hugo Spritz” 

• Camilla from Culinary Cam will be taking a look at “Beyond Prosecco: Exploring Other Italian Bubbles” 

• 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 Centuries 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. 

You can find many sparkling wines from around Italy on Wine.com to try.  I may receive compensation for any wines 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 Springtime with Italy’s Finest Sparkling Wines

We are well into springtime and our Italian Food, Wine, and Travel group (#ItalianFWT) will be taking you this week on a journey through a number of Italian regions and the variety of sparkling wines produced throughout Italy.  Our writers will be featuring several sparkling wines from a variety of producers and some will even include some food pairings to goes with their bubbly.

The types of sparkling wines in Italy

There is no doubt that when one talks about the sparkling wines of Italy that Prosecco is probably one of the first wines that come to mind, but that is such a limited scope into what is available.  Especially since there are a number of appellations producing different types of Prosecco from some high quality like Asolo and Valdobbiadene Conegliano to name a couple.

Photo by Karol Chomka on Unsplash

If you’re a lover of French champagne have you ever discovered the sparkling wines of Franciacorta in the Lombardy region?  The wines of this region will give some champagne a run for their  money.  

Then there are more of the frizzante, semi-sparkling wines that may have more of a touch of sweetness if that is your preference like Moscato d’Asti, Asti Spumante , and Brachetto d’Acqui from the Piedmont region and Lambrusco from Emilia Romagna.  All very unique in their own styles, but provide a wide range available to all consumers palates.  

A little more of the grid that are under the radar of those from Trento DOC in the Trentino region and Oltrepo Pavese Metodo Classico also from the Lombardy region.

If you aren’t familiar with a number of these it sounds like there is much more exploring to be had in your future.

How can you join the Italian, Food, Wine and Travel group?

Grab a bottle of Italian sparkling wine and share with me the title of your article that you plan to share on your site by emailing me at vino travels at hotmail dot com.  

All articles should be live by this coming Saturday May 9th by 9am EST and should include the list of all the other writers and their articles with the shared links.

Don’t forget to use #ItalianFWT when sharing on your social media channels.

Sparking wines preview

Here is a preview of what is to come this coming weekend by our passionate writers!

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

Get a head start on checking out some Italian sparklers for yourself  on Wine.com.  I may receive compensation for any wines purchased through the affiliate link in support of Vino Travels. 

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Twig & Terroir: Discovering Cantina Zaccagnini's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Recently I wrote about Poderi dal Nespoli, one of the wineries that falls under Argea, the largest private wine group in Italy.  Today I’m highlighting the Cantina Zaccagnini winery, also a part of  Argea, that is located in Italy’s 5th largest region in area, Abruzzo. The virtual tasting I attended online walked through several Zaccagnini wines led by Italian wine expert, Filippo Bartoletta.  Let’s discover more about the Abruzzo wine region, its most produced grape, Montepulciano, and the many expressions that Zaccagnini produces under their Tralcetto line of wines today. 

The Abruzzo wine region 

The Abruzzo region is “wild....and one of the greenest regions in Europe”, as Filippo described.  It’s rather small in size with about 1.3 million inhabitants.  To give you some perspective, the city of Manhattan, NY is larger in size.  That’s because a lot of the terrain of Abruzzo is dominated by mountains, hills and forests, but is nicely balanced with over 130 km of coastline along the Adriatic Sea.   About two thirds of the region sits above 750 meters above sea level.  Several mountain ranges are located throughout the region including the Gran Sasso, Magella and Monti Sibilini.  

If you’re one that enjoys national parks, 6% of the region is covered by 4 national parks and 30 natural reserves.  It contains the oldest National Park in Italy, Parco Nationale d’Abruzzo, that was established in 1923 that also spans into the Lazio and Molise regions.  You’ll also find a UNESCO World Heritage site with its old beech forests of 500 years in age.  Personally, I’d love to travel that park myself with its abundance of wildlife to include Marsican brown bears, Apennine wolves, golden eagles, chamois, and deer. 

The makeup of Abruzzo wines 

The grape that probably comes to the forefront of your mind when you think of Abruzzo wines is Montepulciano, and it wouldn’t be any surprise since this grape makes up 57% of the vineyards in Abruzzo.  alongside Montepulciano, you’ll find Trebbiano Toscano (16%) and Trebbiano Abruzzese (7%).  Pecorino and Chardonnay trail closely behind.  Abruzzo’s shining star though is the Montepulciano grape.  It can be found in 80% of Abruzzo’s DOC wines, which is the 3rd top DOC in Italy.  Montepulciano is a late ripening grape that is deep ruby in color with aromas of cherry, red berries, licorice and violet and dark, plush fruits that show a rustic appeal likes the terrain from which it hails. 

In the 80’s Montepulciano became a prominent grape to be found in the wine world due to a number of producers’ efforts working with this grape, including Zaccagnini.   

The Zaccagnini Wines 

Zaccagnini is one of Abruzzo’s known producers, crafting wines from the rugged hillsides of this central Italian region.  At the heart of their portfolio stands the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grape 

The winemaker of Zaccagnini, Federica Lauterio, joined us during the tasting to talk further about the variety of their wines.  Filippo stated that the Tralcetto line of wines is the "brand ambassador of Abruzzo”.  Their wines are highly exported, and the wine bottles are always easy to catch your eyes in the store.  They are wrapped with grape vine shoots to give the bottle an artistic twist that was created by the founder in the 70’s.   

vine shoots on the bottles of Zaccagnini wines

With a focus on the Montepulciano grape, I wanted to share the three wines from this line that are all made from 100% Montepulciano.   

The 2024 Zaccagnini Tralcetto Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC is Abruzzo’s rose. It‘s a red grape processed like a white.  If you’re not familiar with how these wines get the beautiful color that they have, it is achieved by the amount of skin contact that the juice has with the skins.  The Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC was created in 2010 and is only for rose.   

This wine spends a short maceration for color and then sits on the must in the stainless-steel tank for 10 days before fermentation.  This wine is a deeper pink with aromas of fresh cherry.  This is a medium-bodied wine with notes of sour cherries with crisp, refreshing acidity. If you love a heavier body of a red, but the freshness of a white then this is the wine to try.  ABV 12.5% 

The 2022 Zaccagnini Tralcetto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC is macerated for 15 days during fermentation and aged on the lees in stainless steel. This wine is deep ruby in color with purplish hues.  Dark cherry aromas and medium-bodied on the palate filled with dark fruits and soft tannin.  ABV 13%

The 2021 Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC Riserva spends 20 days in fermentation in large oak casks and 18 months aging with 9 of those months in barrique.  This wine comes from a single vineyard in the Valle Casauria.  Deep ruby in color with aromas of ripe red fruits, cherry on the forefront, with a hint of pepper.  Medium-bodied on the palate with bright acidity up front, plush red fruits and a pleasant elegance.  ABV 14% 

With an array of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo to be explored from everyday sippers to ageworthy wines, the dedication to this grape that Zaccagnini and other producers have shown, allows consumers like us to explore the vast terrain of Abruzzo and these authentic wines.    

You can find many Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wines, including those from Cantina Zaccagnini, on Wine.com to try.  I may receive compensation for any wines 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.