From the prosecco hills to Lake Iseo
Italian sparkling wine
The biggest Italian sparkling wine by far is prosecco, made fizzy in big pressure tanks, which keeps it fresh and fruity. For wine made the way Champagne is, fermented in the bottle, look for Franciacorta, Trento or Alta Langa. Asti and Moscato d'Asti are sweet and low in alcohol, and Lambrusco is the fizzy red.
Barello is a home cellar and bar app that tells you what to open tonight, what to keep, and what you can mix from what you have. It's free, and it tells you when each bottle you keep is at its best.
The styles
Prosecco comes from north-east Italy and is at least 85% glera, a local white grape. The best is Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Italy's top grade, from the hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene.
Franciacorta, from Lombardy near Lake Iseo, is fermented in the bottle like Champagne and rests on its yeast for at least 18 months, longer than Champagne must.
Trento is sparkling wine from the mountains of Trentino, made the Champagne way. Its best-known winery is Ferrari, founded in 1902. Alta Langa, in Piedmont, spends at least 30 months on its yeast.
Asti is sweet and fully sparkling. Moscato d'Asti is only lightly sparkling and sweeter, at 4.5 to 6.5% alcohol.
Lambrusco is the red that fizzes, from around Modena and Reggio Emilia. It can be dry (secco) or sweet (dolce), so check the label.
How sweet is it?
Brut is dry, under 12 g of sugar a litre. Extra dry sounds drier than brut but is sweeter, at 12 to 17 g. A label that says dry is sweeter again, at 17 to 32 g.
Producers worth knowing
| Bisol (Valdobbiadene) | Crede Prosecco Superiore Brut, A$40.95 at Bottega 1995. |
|---|---|
| Bellavista (Franciacorta) | Alma Gran Cuvée Brut, A$99.50 at Boccaccio Cellars. |
| Berlucchi (Franciacorta) | Made the first Franciacorta, in 1961. |
| Ferrari (Trento) | Ferrari Brut, chardonnay with at least 20 months on its yeast. |
| Vietti (Piedmont) | Moscato d'Asti Cascinetta, A$50 at Wine Experience. |
| Medici Ermete (Reggio Emilia) | Quercioli Lambrusco Reggiano Secco, A$30 at The Heritage. |
Prices in Australian dollars from each retailer's own website, 22 October 2026.
How long to keep it
Prosecco is made to be drunk fresh. Franciacorta is ready when you buy it, after at least 18 months on its yeast.
For a bottle with a year on the label, these are the years Barello gives it, counted from that year. It brings the dates forward if the bottle is kept somewhere warm. A bottle with no year gets no dates.
| Prosecco | from its vintage year, best around year 1, until about year 3 |
|---|---|
| Franciacorta | from 1 year after the vintage, best around year 3, until about year 7 |
| Asti and Moscato d'Asti | from its vintage year, best around year 1, until about year 2 |
| Lambrusco | from its vintage year, best around year 1, until about year 3 |
How cold to serve it
Prosecco and Franciacorta at 6 to 8°C (43 to 46°F), Lambrusco at 8 to 9°C (46 to 48°F) and Moscato d'Asti at about 10°C (50°F). A kitchen fridge is about 4°C (39°F), colder than any of these, so let a good bottle warm a little before you pour.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between prosecco and Champagne?
How the bubbles get in. Prosecco gets them in big pressure tanks, which keeps the fruit fresh. Champagne gets them in the bottle and rests on its yeast for at least a year, which adds the taste of the yeast.
What cocktails can I make with Italian sparkling wine?
Any cocktail that calls for sparkling wine: the Bellini, Champagne Cocktail, French 75, Hugo, Kir Royale, Mimosa, Negroni Sbagliato, Pornstar Martini and Spritz. Prosecco is the one for a Spritz or a Bellini.
How long does it keep once it's open?
About two days, kept cold with a proper sparkling stopper. A resealed bottle keeps 90% of its fizz over two days, and an open one loses half. The last glass or two make a good cocktail.
Keep track of what's in the fridge and when to open it. Barello holds the wine and the bar in one place the whole house shares.
Join freeSparkling wine from elsewhere: English sparkling wine, Australian sparkling wine, American sparkling wine and French sparkling wine.
More for an open bottle: wine cocktails, by the bottle they take.
Sources: Prosecco DOC rules · Prosecco DOC on winemaking · Conegliano Valdobbiadene · Franciacorta rules · Franciacorta history · Franciacorta on sweetness · Berlucchi '61 · Ferrari · Alta Langa · Province of Cuneo on Asti · Michele Chiarlo · Lambrusco consortium · Medici Ermete · Comité Champagne · Bottega 1995 · Boccaccio Cellars · Wine Experience · The Heritage · The Conversation on keeping it fizzy.