Unexpected and authentic: 13 bubbles for the holidays

Synonymous with conviviality and joie de vivre, bubbles are a great classic for toasting the festive season. From Val d'Aosta to Sicily, from Trentino to Sardinia, there is no region in Italy that does not have its own sparkling wine, so we are taking you on a journey across the boot to discover 13 wines that are the most authentic expression of the territory in which they were born, the fruit of native vines rediscovered and enhanced by passionate and stubborn vignerons who are part of the ambitious Proposta Vini project entitled Bollicine da uve italiane.

A journey through bubbles of great character, made from traditional Italian grapes that perfectly represent the variety, diversity, peculiarity and originality of Italian viticulture.

Cave Mont Blanc X.T. Extrabrut Morgex Metodo Classico

The Spumante Metodo Classico X.T. from Cave Mont Blanc is a truly heroic wine. It is born at an altitude of 1,100 metres, in the shadow of the imposing Mont Blanc, in the highest vineyards in Europe, in Morgex and La Salle, in the Aosta Valley. Made exclusively from 100% Pinot blanc grapes, harvested by hand, this wine expresses all the originality and authenticity of the native vine from which it comes. Straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections and a fine and persistent perlage, X.T. by Cave Mont Blanc expresses intense and elegant mineral aromas that frame a bouquet of fruit and mountain herbs, almonds, citrus and white flowers. On the palate, it is fresh and lively, with an acidity that is well-balanced by the savouriness and smoothness of the sip. Excellent as an aperitif, it is perfect with grilled Jambon Cuit or with shellfish and seafood.

Travaglini Nebolè Dosaggio Zero Metodo Classico

Nebolè is a project, an idea, a wine: its soul is rooted in the tradition of Piedmont's most noble and widespread vine, and it is the innovative and surprising fruit of rigorous research applied to the grape. Even in the past, wine growers bottled sparkling Nebbiolo, but the "revolution" of the historic Travaglini winery in Gattinara (VC) was to use the tops of the grapes, usually discarded in the production of the great red wines of the area, for vinification.

This pure Nebbiolo gives a fresh and elegant sparkle to the wine, which remains on the lees for at least 46 months. A Metodo Classico Dosaggio Zero sparkling wine, in which the delicate tannins combine with the fine bubbles of the perlage to create a dense, platinum-coloured mist. On the nose, the wine reveals hints of hazelnut cream, bread crust and ground coffee, with apple, grapefruit and a hint of flowers in the background. On the palate it is tonic and pleasant, thanks to its energetic acidity and the lively savoury aftertaste of the rocky soils of Gattinara. Ideal with fish, white meat and cheese, as well as aperitifs and starters.

Nicolodi Alfio - Cimbrus Brut Cembrani d'Autore Metodo Classico

Alfio Nicolodi, a passionate promoter of the wines of the Cembra Valley, has been at the helm of the historic family winery since 1985 and has worked tirelessly and enthusiastically to recover and promote the indigenous grape varieties of his valley. One of these is Lagarino Bianco, which Nicolodi has chosen as the basis for a Metodo Classico sparkling wine, exploiting the important acidity of this grape, a characteristic that in previous decades had relegated it to the role of comprimario, used mainly to blend with other grapes. This is how Cimbrus Brut Cembriani d'Autore was born, a sparkling wine made with pure Lagarino and aged on its lees for 80 months, expressing the characteristics of the terroir and the grape variety with a rare and expressive synthesis. Cimbrus Brut is a white sparkling wine with light yellow reflexes, a Metodo Classico of excellent intensity, with an aromatic spectrum that offers pleasant notes of citrus fruits and grapefruit on the nose, a thirst-quenching, pleasant sip with crisp acidity and a fascinating savoury flicker on the finish. A sparkling wine of great character and personality to be uncorked with shellfish, oysters and seafood.

Zeni - Nosiola Brut Arlecchino Tirage Metodo Martinotti

Nosiola is an indigenous white grape variety that was once grown throughout Trentino, but is now confined to the hillsides of the Valle d'Adige and Valle dei Laghi. It has survived thanks to the passion of a few wine-growers, including Azienda Agricola Zeni, who have understood its potential and transformed it into the basis of a sparkling wine re-fermented in an autoclave. Spumante Brut Millesimato Arlecchino is an oenological excellence that combines wine quality with an organic approach. Produced with Nosiola grapes grown according to strict organic standards, this sparkling wine is both fresh and lively. Just as the Italian mask embodies serenity, lightness and joie de vivre, Azienda Agricola Zeni's wine, made from the golden grapes of the Nosiola vine, is characterised by its brio and light-hearted, captivating flavour. Fragrant and delicately lively, with a light and persistent mousse, it is pleasantly fresh and cheerful, with a round and fruity taste that invites you to savour it. It is perfect for celebrating special moments or as a refined accompaniment to fish, shellfish, crustaceans and fresh cheeses.

Sancio - LUMASSINA BRUT LADY CHATTERLEY METODO CLASSICO

Lumassina is a Ligurian vine cultivated in a fairly restricted area between the hinterland of Noli and that of Finale Ligure. Its name comes from the snails called "lumasse" in the local dialect. Lady Chatterley is the classic sparkling version produced by the Sancio winery. It has a straw-yellow colour with greenish reflections and floral and citrus aromas. Traditionally this wine is served with snails, but in fact it can be enjoyed throughout the meal, with the exception of desserts.

Le Battistelle - Soave Brut Settembrino Millesimato Metodo Martinotti 

Fresh and dynamic, Soave Brut Settembrino Millesimato from the Le Battistelle winery in Brognoligo (VR) evokes the most delicate and elegant flavours of Garganega, an indigenous grape variety that dominates the hills of the Soave DOC zone, where the volcanic soil allows this white berry to express its full potential. Straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections and a fine, persistent perlage, Soave Brut Settembrino offers a delicate, penetrating bouquet of white flowers and lemongrass. On the palate, it is refreshing and savoury, with a soft acidity that makes it round. An ideal sparkling wine for an aperitif in company during the festive season.

Tessère - Raboso Rosato Redentor Metodo Familiare TESSÈRE

Raboso Piave, an indigenous red grape variety whose origins are lost in the mists of time and seem to date back to the time of Pliny the Elder, was famous in the 17th century as a "travelling wine" thanks to its pronounced acidity and strong tannins, which enabled it to withstand the long sea voyages of the Serenissima ships without spoiling. Cultivated until the 1960s in most of the areas on the left bank of the Piave, it was saved from extinction about 20 years ago by a group of courageous vignerons who revived its production. Among the "enlightened" who have bet on the revival of a vine that has been forgotten for too long is Tessère of Noventa di Piave (VE), who has made Raboso the undisputed protagonist of his organic winery, capturing the essence of this berry and the territory where it grows.

Spumante Metodo Classico Raboso Rosato Redentor is made from pure Raboso grapes. It is a sparkling wine with an onion-red colour that turns golden as it matures on the lees. Vinified in stainless steel with fermentation in the bottle and on the lees, this sparkling wine offers intense aromas of pomegranate, citrus and apple, enriched with notes of blackberry, sour cherry and liquorice. On the palate, it is sparkling and lively, with a pleasant complexity that makes Raboso Rosato Redentor an original and appetising sparkling wine, ideal for happy hour with friends, paired with platters of cold cuts and sliced meats, or as an accompaniment to first and second courses, even elaborate ones. 

Mariotti - Brut Nature Abbatia Metodo Classico

The Azienda Agricola Mariotti in Argenta (FE) is dedicated to the production of local wines in the spirit of the Emilian tradition, with particular attention to the traditional "re-fermentation in bottle", which gives sparkling wines a depth and capacity for evolution that is difficult to achieve. The winery was one of the first and most active in promoting the wines of the Sands of Ferrara; wines that, although rooted in a unique terroir, characterised by a humid environment with impenetrable fog and very poor sandy soils, have a rare and unique personality: taut, subtle, vertical, pleasant and unmistakably salty. Fortana, also known as Uva d'Oro (Golden Grape), is said to have been imported from the Côte d'Or in Burgundy by Princess Renata of France, daughter of Louis XII, as a dowry for her husband, the Duke of Este. Produced "a piede franco", Fortana is the grape of the sands par excellence, with many facets, which Mariotti has vinified in its purest form in the Spumante Metodo Classico Brut Nature Abbatia, with a rose gold colour and clear, compact bubbles. Ideal as an aperitif and with grilled fish, prawns, langoustines and cured meats, this sparkling wine has fresh, fruity aromas of tangerine and red fruit, with pleasant vegetal textures. In the mouth, the perlage caresses the palate, leaving it fresh and clean, with a typically spicy finish. The perfect accompaniment to fish and vegetable fritters.

Giusti - Rosato Brut Bollarosa Metodo Martinotti

Lacrima di Morro d'Alba, an ancient and highly prized grape variety, difficult to cultivate because of its remarkable precocious germination, was rescued in the 1960s and brought back to prominence thanks to the far-sighted work of some wine growers in the province of Ancona. A grape so inseparable from the territory that it even bears its name; a rare treasure that has fascinated the Giusti family, of the farm of the same name, whose dream, handed down from father to son, is "to contribute to proving that Lacrima is a great and original native grape variety". Among the wines produced by the winery to celebrate this red grape is the Spumante Rosato Brut BollaRosa, which has a fresh and elegant character, with a pale pink colour and a fine perlage. Delicate on the nose, with hints of freshly picked roses and violets, it is a creamy, full-bodied sparkling wine, with initial sensations of softness followed by a mineral, dry flavour. BollaRosa can be uncorked as an aperitif, to accompany cold cuts and soft cheeses, finger foods and light fish hors d'oeuvres.

I Borboni - Asprinio Brut 8 mesi Metodo Martinotti

The Numeroso family, founders of I Borboni, have owned twenty hectares of vineyards since the second half of the 18th century and have linked their name to the care of centuries-old vines and in particular to Asprinio, a grape native to the Aversano countryside that even the poet Mario Soldati found irresistible at the first sip. A wine with an ancient tradition (its origins seem to date back to the Etruscans), Asprinio was used by the Numeroso family at the beginning of the 20th century as a base for brandy, while the first experiments with sparkling wine began at the end of the 1970s. Thanks to the tenacity of the knight Nicola and his brother Raffaele, the challenge began to recover this grape, which was otherwise condemned to extinction, through its traditional vinification in caves dug 15 metres deep, which guarantee the right humidity, absence of light and constant temperature to best enhance the lively freshness characteristics of this native variety.

d'Araprì - Rn Bombino Bianco Brut Meotodo Classico

A choice considered anachronistic by all, but one that reveals the courage and vision of three friends who believed that they could valorise Bombino Bianco, an indigenous Apulian grape variety from the Capitanata area, through sparkling wine and bubbles. This dream was the starting point for the oenological adventure of Girolamo D'Amico, Louis Rapini and Ulrico Priore, founders of the d'Araprì winery in San Severo (FG), the only winery in Apulia to produce sparkling wine exclusively using the classic method. It is thanks to these three friends that Bombino di Bianco di San Severo has been established for the first time on the Italian scene as a great grape variety for the production of sparkling wine, in a way "upsetting" the geography of more traditional sparkling wine production. With very ancient origins (it is said to have been brought to Apulia in 1200 by the Templars returning from the Holy Land), Bombino Bianco is used by d'Araprì in its purest form for its RN sparkling wine, which brings out all its characteristics. The technique of first fermentation in wood gives the RN a bright golden colour, a fine and lively perlage, a rich bouquet of ripe fruit and a hint of vanilla, while in the mouth it has a savoury, full and complex flavour, with a full-bodied, dynamic palate and an unforgettable taste. A sparkling wine that perfectly interprets the d'Araprì style, ideal with grilled fish or cheeses, but also with Mediterranean specialities and typical Daunia recipes such as pizza with cracklings, maccheroncini with ricotta dura or spaghetti with tomatoes, capers and oregano.

I Vigneri - Vinudilice Spumante Brut Rosè Metodo Classico

As unique as the 'Vini Umani' produced on the slopes of Etna by the I Vigneri winery in Milo (CT), which recovers ancient Etna vineyards and traditional viticulture, is Vinidulice, a rosé wine produced directly in the vineyard: a blend of white and red grapes harvested and vinified together. The vineyards of VignaBosco, located in an uncontaminated area rich in biodiversity, are cultivated with the sole help of mules, producing grapes that are pure and unpolluted, as pure as the resulting wine, since it is obtained without the use of selected yeasts and without the addition of sulphites, and every stage of production is carried out according to the phases of the moon.

Vindulice is a surprising metodo classico, an intense rosé wine with a fine and persistent perlage, a bouquet reminiscent of small fragrant red berries, such as wild strawberries, with hints of hazelnut and mineral nuances. The palate is well balanced, fresh and pleasantly tannic. It can be served with fish and white meat. Perfect with stewed grouper.

Quartomoro - Z Frizzante sui lieviti Metodo Familiare

The Quartomoro winery is an interweaving of vines, experiences and cultures, just like the place where it was born: Arborea (OR), a living testimony of the synergy between Sardinian and continental cultures, and Sardinia, a land with one of the most interesting biodiversity in Europe. Producing wines that are an expression of the Sardinian land is the principle that animates the daily work in the vineyard and in the cellar, with the utmost respect for natural processes. One of Quartomoro's jewels is Z Frizzante sui lieviti, a sparkling white wine that enchants with its freshness and liveliness. It comes from white Vermentino vineyards on the slopes of Monte Arci, where the soil is rich in dark minerals of volcanic origin. Produced using the yeast method, Z offers a bouquet of floral aromas with citrus and spicy notes typical of the area. Fresh and lively on the palate, with a lively, enveloping sparkle, it is the perfect accompaniment to aperitifs, fish dishes or fresh cheeses, but also to roast chicken with potatoes.