Turn any evening into a celebration with one of these affordable sparkling wines.
Asti Spumante: Festive Bubbly for Large Events
From the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, Asti Spumante is an inexpensive sparkling wine made famous by large industrial wine producer Martini and Rossi. Made from the moscato (muscat) grape, this wine, often called simply “Asti,” is a very sweet-tasting Italian bubbly generally lacking in overall character. Fairly low in alcohol (usually between 6 and 9 percent), this wine goes down quick and easy. Serve it at parties or other festive events where guests don't care as much about the wine as they do the event. Priced around $12 per bottle.
Moscato d' Asti: Lightly Sparkling Dessert Wine
This Italian sparkling wine, though often confused with Asti Spumante, is totally different in taste and character. Like Asti, Moscato d’asti comes from Italy's Piedmont region, and it also is made from the moscato grape. However, most experts generally agree that all similarities end there. Moscato d'Asti is an artisanal, lightly sparkling wine (which means it is less bubbly, a style called frizzante, as opposed to the fully-sparkling spumante style).
Moscato d'asti is an intensely fruity and aromatic wine with just enough acidity to provide freshness. Very low in alcohol (between 5 and 7 percent), this is a wonderful wine to uncork at a morning event, such as Christmas or brunch. Moscato d’asti is an ideal dessert wine; try pairing it with shortbread cookies or dark chocolate. In Piedmont, this wine typically is served at the end of a meal with krimiri, traditional Italian cornmeal cookies. Expect to pay approximately $12 to $20 per bottle.
Prosecco: Tasty All-Occasion Sparkling Wine
Probably the best known of the Italian sparkling wines, Prosecco comes from the Veneto region of northeastern Italy. It is produced using the Charmat method of fermentation; that is, its second fermentation takes place in tanks instead of individual bottles, thus helping to retain the wine's fresh flavors. This wine is a delicate, crisp, and easy-to-drink bubbly, often with hints of apple, citrus, and almonds. It is slightly bitter on the finish. It can be found either in the frizzante or spumante styles, and a few Proseccos are still wines (no bubbles at all).
Pair Prosecco with subtly-flavored seafood dishes, with salty foods, or with appetizers such as prosciutto-wrapped melon balls. Prosecco is also delightful with dessert or as an aperitif.
Most Proseccos do not age well, so buy and drink them young, between one and three years old. When selecting a Prosecco, look for these DOC designations to ensure a quality wine: Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Prosecco di Conegliano, or Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. Expect to pay around $15 per bottle.
Cava: Dry, Lively Refreshment
Cava, a fun and affordable Spanish sparkling wine, is produced the same way Champagne is produced: its second fermentation occurs in the individual bottle. Sometimes the first fermentation takes place in oak barrels, which imparts a toasty flavor to the wine. Cava is a fully-sparkling wine generally designated Brut (dry) or Extra dry (sweeter than Brut). This bubbly offers festivity for much less money than Champagne.
The best known cavas probably are Freixenet. and Codorniu. These are fine, but a bit uninteresting. However, for the adventurous, there are plenty of others out there. So experiment! Try, for example, Segura Viudas, Gran Gesta, or Poema.
Buy cava young and serve it very cold. Pair it with tapas. Price range is approximately $9 to $18 per bottle.
For Further Reading
These sites provide additional reading on Italian and Spanish wines:
Albarino: Spain's Most Popular White Wine
