🍷 Spumante

Spumante is the Italian term for sparkling wine. In EU law the category "sparkling wine" is a wine obtained by first or second alcoholic fermentation from fresh grapes, grape must or wine, whose carbon dioxide comes exclusively from fermentation. It must have an excess pressure of at least 3 bar at 20 °C in closed containers, and the cuvées used to make it must have a total alcoholic strength of at least 8.5% vol.

Related categories have other limits. Quality sparkling wine needs at least 3.5 bar and cuvées of at least 9% vol. Quality aromatic sparkling wine needs at least 3 bar, an actual alcoholic strength of at least 6% vol. and a total of at least 10% vol.; it is made from must of specific aromatic grape varieties. Semi-sparkling wine is lighter: 1 to 2.5 bar of endogenous carbon dioxide, an actual strength of at least 7% vol. and containers of 60 litres or less.

Sweetness is stated with set terms. Under Regulation (EU) 2019/33, brut nature (Italian: dosaggio zero) means less than 3 g/l of sugar with no sugar added after the second fermentation; extra brut 0 to 6 g/l; brut under 12 g/l; extra dry 12 to 17 g/l; secco 17 to 32 g/l; abboccato 32 to 50 g/l; dolce more than 50 g/l.

A named example is Asti, or Asti Spumante, a protected designation of origin made only from Moscato Bianco. Its single document places it in the category of quality sparkling wine of the aromatic type, with sweetness from extra dry to sweet and a minimum total alcoholic strength of 11.5% vol., of which at least 6% vol. is actual.