Sparkling wine from Italy

Bocciolo means flower bud. And that is exactly what this wine is: something that is just opening, not yet fully blossomed – with a sweetness that promises rather than overwhelms. 100% Lambrusco Grasparossa from the hills of Scandiano and Canossa, clay soils, Cordone speronato, reduced yield. Fermentation in steel at a controlled temperature, stopping at the desired sugar content. Only 7.5% alcohol – deliberately light so that freshness dominates.

The Medici family has been growing Lambrusco in Montecchio Emilia for over a hundred years. Not because it sells well at the moment – but because they know no other way and want no other way. Four generations, one obsession: to make the best Reggiano DOC that these hills have to offer. Harvests far below the maximum authorised yield, soils made of heavy clay, care taken down to the last detail of vinification. Assolo is their most accessible wine – and it is not a compromise. 51% Ancellotta for colour and fruit, Lambrusco Salamino for acidity and bite. Fermentation in steel at a controlled temperature, second fermentation according to the Martinotti method in a closed pressurised chamber.

Delicate, bright pink colour with a lively, fine perlage. Vigna del Cristo reveals the elegant and dry side of Lambrusco di Sorbara: fresh, subtle and full of character. Redcurrants, fresh raspberries, pink grapefruit and a hint of white flowers on the nose. Dry, lively and clear on the palate, with animating acidity and mineral tension. A finely sparkling, stylish Lambrusco – refreshing, pleasantly tart and with impressive lightness. Perfect with summer meat dishes, antipasti, seafood or simply as a sophisticated aperitif. Beautiful length and even greater drinking pleasure. SUPERIORE.DE

There is a moment in the history of Lambrusco that changed everything. In 1984, the Medici family decided to press their best wine not from an average vineyard, but from a single vineyard: Tenuta La Rampata, near Gaida in Reggio Emilia. This was a provocation – for a grape variety that was considered a mass product at the time. The Concerto became the first single-vineyard Lambrusco in the world. And it proved that this idea was not hubris. 100% Lambrusco Salamino, organically grown on clay soils, Cordone speronato, yields far below the maximum permitted quantities. Spontaneous fermentation in steel, stopping at the desired alcohol content, second fermentation using the Charmat method at the lowest temperatures – to preserve every hint of fruit. Officially certified organic since the 2020 harvest.

Cleto Chiarli travelled to Paris in 1900. In his luggage: bottles of his Lambrusco, fermented using the old method – fermentation in the bottle, no intervention, no dosage. The jury of the World Exhibition awarded him the "Mention Honourable". A century later, the Wine Spectator voted Fondatore one of the top 100 wines in the world. The secret is the process. While the market favours Charmat, Chiarli 1860 sticks to the Metodo Ancestrale for del Fondatore, with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle. This is followed by six months of maturation on the lees. No dosage. The result is a Lambrusco that can be traced back through the vintages – and which shows what this wine sounded like long before anyone had the idea of making it sweet.

Delicate straw yellow colour with a silvery sheen and lively perlage. The nose opens with fresh apricot, white flowers and a hint of lemon zest, accompanied by mild herbal notes and fine yeast spice. On the palate, the Spumante creates a fine interplay of animating freshness and delicate creaminess, carried by lively acidity and youthful fruit. The combination of the autochthonous Verdicchio and Passerina grape varieties lends minerality and balance, while the Charmat method ensures a certain directness and a lovely drinking flow. An aromatic spumante – perfect as a light aperitif or a stylish accompaniment to summer dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

Garofoli has been known for decades for its excellent sparkling wines. Here comes the new Rosé Frizzante made from 100% Montepulciano using the classic pet-nat method (Metodo Ancestrale), which is harvested in the last half of August and whose carbon dioxide is created almost unplanned by the almost complete fermentation of the sugar in the bottle. Bright salmon pink, floral, red berry notes, beautiful freshness, delicate mousseux and a fine yeast note on the final. Unfiltered. SUPERIORE.DE

Lambrusco has an image problem. Not because it is bad – but because the wrong version of it has travelled the world for decades: sweet, arbitrary, free with pizza. However, anyone who knows that Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC is one of the most fascinating red wine appellations in Italy – aromatic, light-footed, with an acidity structure that makes Bordeaux look old –who opens this bottle with completely different expectations. 100% Lambrusco di Sorbara from the Vigneto Sozzigalli, 100 hectares of its own vineyards, carefully selected. Short maceration, slow pinch de mousse in a closed fermentation tank using the Charmat method. No compromise at the wrong end.

The French would call it Cru. Chiarli simply writes the name of the vineyard on the label: Tenuta Generale Cialdini, around 13 hectares in the pre-alpine hills of Castelvetro, south of Modena. Clayey soils that give Grasparossa what it needs: substance, colour and tannin. This is where the Chiarli family has been producing what they consider to be the purest expression of this grape variety for generations. Anyone who knows and loves Sorbara should be prepared for something. Because the Grasparossa is the exact opposite: dark, full-bodied, firm tannins, with fruit that is more reminiscent of blackberries and wild berries than strawberries. 36 hours of maceration at a cool temperature, slow pinch de mousse, bottling only after appropriate maturity.

The Cantina della Volta is located on a section of the Naviglio di Bomporto canal – the place where river trains used to have to turn round before continuing towards Modena. La Volta means the turn, the hairpin bend. Not an inappropriate name for a frizzante that also goes its own way. 100% Lambrusco di Sorbara from the alluvial soils of the Secchia river, hand-picked in 15-kilogramme crates, cold maceration, first fermentation in steel tanks. What follows is the decisive step: the second fermentation in the bottle – bottle-fermented like a Méthode Classico, then the yeast carefully removed, crown cork. The same artisanal effort that Christian Bellei shows in his great sparkling wines – for a frizzante that should simply be a pleasure to drink.

Ruby red with light violet reflections. Inviting aroma of violets, redcurrants and wild strawberries. Delicately fruity, dry and crisp on the palate with a lively acidity and fine, sparkling perlage. Brings freshness and drinking pleasure to every garden party. Goes perfectly with finger food, cold cuts, prosciutto & co. SUPERIORE.DE

This Blanc de Noir from Conte Vistarino is made from gently pressed Pinot Nero grapes and is matured using the Charmat method. After fermentation, the wine matures on the lees for six months, giving it finesse and structure. Fine aromas of white flowers, apple and hazelnut on the nose, dry, precise and balanced on the palate. The elegant perlage, straw-yellow colour with a greenish shimmer and clear style make it a sophisticated sparkling wine that impressively reflects the nobility of Pinot Nero - complex and yet immediately accessible. SUPERIORE.DE

In 2019, UNESCO declared the Prosecco hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene a World Heritage Site. Not because of the wine – but because of the landscape that produces it: steep moraine slopes, stepped in terraces, calcareous soil with marl and clay, lapped by a breeze from the Adriatic Sea. Villa Sandi cultivates over eighty hectares of its own land in this World Heritage area – and for decades has been one of the addresses that have secured Prosecco's reputation as a serious sparkling wine. 100% Glera, hand-picked, pneumatic pressing. Fermentation at a controlled 15–16 °C according to the Charmat method – gentle, flavour-preserving, typical of the region. The Millesimato is a promise of quality: The grapes from one vintage are so good that they do not need to be blended across vintages – they stand on their own every year.

This elegant rosé sparkling wine made from Pinot Nero is produced after a short maceration period and gentle pressing. The base wine matures on the fine lees until December, is then fermented in an autoclave and matures on the lees for a further six months. This is followed by at least two months of ageing in the bottle. The colour in the glass is pale pink with a fine, persistent perlage. Aromas of raspberries, wild strawberries and yellow fruit on the nose. Soft, creamy and fresh on the palate, harmoniously rounded off with 10 g/l dosage. A balanced, aromatic sparkling wine with international appeal - sensual, structured and remarkably elegant. SUPERIORE.DE

While the Rive wines from Andreola each bring a single vineyard to the glass, the Dirupo tells a different story: that of the entire denominazione. For this brut, Stefano Pola draws on the privilege of a vineyard network that extends across all 15 municipalities of the Valdobbiadene DOCG – from gentle slopes at 200 metres to extreme steep slopes at 500 metres, on limestone marls, sandstones, conglomerates and deep clay soils. No other wine of the house represents the territory so completely. The choice of grape varieties emphasises this approach: 90% Glera, supplemented by Bianchetta and Perera – two indigenous varieties of the hills, which have long since disappeared from standard Prosecco, but here they quietly contribute to the aromatic depth.

Christian Bellei has dedicated his life to precision. For generations, the family in Bomporto has been producing excellent sparkling wines with the meticulousness of a watchmaker – everything controlled, everything deliberate, everything calculated. And then: OOPS. Mi è scappata la bollicina. The bubble that crept in uninvited – and then just stayed. 100% Pinot Nero from the alluvial soils of Secchia. What was meant to be a still red wine – or at least that's the story –developed a life of its own in the cellar. The perlage was not corrected. It became a style-forming programme.