F.A.Q.

It is an extraordinary wine that owes the presence of foam and fine bubbles to the natural fermentation carried out by the yeasts. This can take place in the bottle or in cuvée close. The first method is called Classical it is the same as the one used for Champagne. The second, which asserted itself from the nineteenth century with the introduction of the particular pressure tank, is called the Charmat method or Italian method. It has become so popular all over the world that spumante has become one of the most successful products made in Italy. Depending on the residual sugar content, spumante is divided into different categories: the most well known are brut and sweet.

The temperature of spumante is an essential factor. In fact, if it is not low enough, the cork might burst out before time, the product comes out uncontrollably and the taste loses its freshness. The ideal temperature is between 5 and 6 °C, even less for sweet spumante. Serve it after a few hours in the fridge or, better still, after a good half hour in a bucket with ice and water.

Open carefully, following the simple rules below:
• never shake the bottle
• always keep a glass and napkin close at hand
• do not rip the tin foil capsule, cut it following the dotted line or tab (A)
• remove the capsule and cage together (B)
• keep the cork still and turn the bottle, not the cork! (C)
• if the cork offers resistance, use the special cork gripper for spumante
• keep the bottle slanted to prevent the wine from spilling
• instead of popping the cork, hold it with your hand (D).

And to pour it...

• hold the bottle firmly in one hand
• pour gently to prevent the cold spumante, in contact with the warmer glass, from producing too much froth
• at first, fill each glass by one third, then top up the remaining third afterwards
• never fill the glasses to the brim.

Tasting does not need an expert, all you need is good taste and a little care. Look at the spumante against the light and check that it clear and brilliant. The froth in the glass should go away quickly to leave long chains of tiny, thick and persistent bubbles rising continuously. Then concentrate on the bouquet: you should note pleasurable hints of fruit, spice flowers, and then give space to fantasy... In sweet spumante wines the bouquet will be more decided strongly recalling the original grape. In dry, young ones it will recall fresh fruit and in those with a longer process, yeast or bread crust. Only now, taste a little drop: the taste of a quality spumante will stay in the mouth for at length, fresh and pleasing, together with an interesting complexity.

The occasions, large and small, that deserve spumante are endless. It is the soul of every party and the most welcome present, it is the ideal wine for aperitifs and between meals, it is the only one that suits all tastes, all seasons and practically all dishes (excluding red meats, roasts and braised meat). This is why it has become a part of our best habits and we can treat ourselves to it at all times, without being confined to important occasions: because it delights the palate while at the same time facilitating digestion and ...a happy mood!

What are the best matches? Spumante wines go with almost everything, but it is a good thing to remember that:

• brut spumante wines are magnificent at table with oysters, lobsters and other choice crustaceans, risotto, pasta, fish, vegetables and light cheeses. They are also ideal as aperitif with crisps, peanuts, chicken or ham canapés or other savoury titbits; but take care: never with olives, which spoil the taste!
• sweet spumante wines, like Asti and Brachetto d'Acqui, are a must with every type of dessert. But also in the mid afternoon, sipped with good sweet pastries, they are a delicious alternative to the usual tea.

Consume within 6 months from purchase: in fact, when it leaves the producer’s cellar it is in the ideal conditions for drinking. In any case, keep the bottles in a cool place away from any heating and sheltered from draughts of air and light, possibly in the horizontal position: this way the cork will not dry and will maintain the internal pressure. It is a mistake, to believe that an open bottle of spumante needs to be finished immediately: keep it in the fridge for 3 or 4 days closed with the special stopper and enjoy it at your leisure!

The glass must be perfectly clean and dry and made of transparent colourless glass. The most appropriate shape for dry spumante is the flûte (A), which is slender enough to exalt the upward movement of the bubbles; while the champagne glass (B) is preferable for sweet ones, which better releases the aromas and strengthens the fragrance.

Spumante bottles may vary in size. The largest ones, with fanciful biblical names, are those that warrant the best quality of the wine: generally they are prepared to order for particular occasions and are considered as veritable collector items.

• the 18.7 cl quart (for solitary drinkers)
• the 37.5 cl half bottle (for an aperitif for two)
• the 75 cl bottle (the most classical size)
• the 1.5 litre Magnum (the equivalent of 2 bottles, for family lunches or a connoisseur gift)
• the 3 litre Jeroboam (the equivalent of 4 bottles)
• the 4.5 litre Rehoboam (the equivalent of 6 bottles)
• the 6 litre Mathusalem (the equivalent of 8 bottles)
• the 9 litre Salmanazar (the equivalent of 12 bottles)
• the 12 litre Balthazar (the equivalent of 16 bottles)
• the 15 litre Nebuchadnezzar (the equivalent of 20 bottles)