- Last updated on January 2, 2023
This is our comparison of Spumante vs Prosecco. We’ve extensively researched these two popular sparkling wine styles to help you pick the best for you.
Spumante, in its dessert version, is known for its elegant sweetness, persistent bubbles, light body, peach, pear, and honeysuckle notes.
There are other Spumante styles that are worth knowing, like Franciacorta and Trento, which are comparable with high-quality French Champagne and are made using the same method.
Prosecco is a sparkling wine, usually extra dry, with typical notes of apple, pear, citrus, white peach, honeydew melon, and honeysuckle.
Find below our wine guide on the most important differences between these two great wines.
Our recommendation for Best Value Spumante is Ferrari Trento Brut N.V. and for Best Overall is Ca’ del Bosco Franciacorta N.V..
Our recommendation for Best Value Prosecco is Altaneve Prosecco Superiore N.V. and for Best Overall is Bisol Cartizze Prosecco Superiore.
You’ll find below other recommendations for you.
Let’s begin with the review!
Wine Selection Overview
Find below our Spumante vs Prosecco wine selection for you where you’ll find our recommendation for you.
Spumante Selection
Cinzano Asti Spumante Sweet (Dolce)
Cinzano is the most famous Asti Spumante brand in Italy, and for a reason. You can’t go wrong here.
It’s nicely sweet, bubbly, and very easy to drink.
Pair it with sponge cake or pastries and you’ll be in heaven!
Ferrari Trento
Brut N.V.
A lively straw yellow with faint greenish highlights.
Fresh, intense, with a broad fruity note of ripe Golden delicious apples, and wild flowers, underpinned by a delicate scent of yeast.
Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta N.V.
It is clean and delicate on the nose. This wonderful sparkler is full-bodied and toasty on the palate.
Creamy and elegant, with a touch of vanilla and hazelnut on the finish.
Prosecco Selection
La Marca Prosecco
N.V.
Altaneve Prosecco Superiore N.V.
Crisp character and unique, floral aroma features notes of peach, pear and honeysuckle.
The elegant bouquet, balanced acidity and sweetness are complex yet approachable, giving it great versatility.
Bisol Cartizze
Prosecco Superiore
The color is pale yellow, the perlage is lively, persistent and subtle.
Elegant meadow flowers, pleasantly fruity with hints of apple, pear and peach.
The flavor is fruity, full balanced, with sweetness contained and accompanied by intense fruity and elegant.
Comparison
Let’s now take a closer look at the difference between Spumante vs Prosecco so that you’ll have enough details to make an informed decision.
Spumante vs Prosecco: Where are they produced?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Spumante vs Prosecco from regions and wine styles points of view.
The most famous Spumante is Asti Spumante, which is produced in the northern-west part of Italy in the Piemonte region.
Franciacorta and Trento are instead from Lombardia and Trentino Alto Adige regions in Italy.
Read this article do find more about Spumante.
Prosecco is primarily produced in the northern-east part of Italy in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions.
Read this article do find more about Prosecco.
Spumante vs Prosecco: Which grapes are used to produce them?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Spumante vs Prosecco from a grape point of view.
Asti Spumante is made with Moscato Bianco or Muscat Blanc grape.
Other Spumante styles like Franciacorta DOCG and Trento DOC uses Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir.
For Prosecco, Glera is the main grape used representing at least 85% of the total.
The remaining 15% can come from various other grapes among which there is Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Glera Lunga.
Pinot Noir generally used for the rosé version.
Spumante vs Prosecco: What's their alcohol content?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Spumante vs Prosecco from an alcohol content point of view.
Alcohol content or more precisely Alcohol By Volume, i.e. ABV, measures the alcoholic strength of a drink.
There is a direct relationship between the sugar left in the wine after the alcoholic fermentation has taken place, i.e. Residual Sugar or RS, and ABV.
During the alcoholic fermentation, the yeast transforms the sugar in the grape juice into alcohol. Grapes with high residual sugar will therefore produce dry wine with a high ABV.
Prosecco’s ABV is usually between 9% to 11%, whereas Spumante’s ABV ranges between 6% to 10.5% depending on the style.
Spumante vs Prosecco: What's their taste profile?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Spumante vs Prosecco from a taste profile point of view.
Asti Spumante is primarily a sparkling dessert wine. It is known for its elegant sweetness, persistent bubbles, light body, peach, pear, and honeysuckle notes.
Expect medium acidity, light-body, persistent perlage (4.5 bar), and an ABV of 5.5%.
Franciacorta and Trento have persistent perlage (6 bar), high acidity, light body, bread crumb, dried fruit, citrus fruit notes, and an ABV range of 10%-11.5%.
Prosecco is usually dry or extra dry, with notes of apple, pear, citrus, white peach, honeydew melon, and honeysuckle.
Expect high acidity, light-body, persistent perlage (4.5-5 bar), and an ABV in a range of 6%-10.5%.
Spumante vs Prosecco: Are they sweet or dry?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Spumante vs Prosecco in terms of sweetness level or residual sugar.
The sweetness level of a wine is expressed in grams of sugar per liter, aka g/L, or as a percentage.
10 g/L equals 1% which, if you are interested, represents 6 calories per 5 oz serving.
Asti Spumante is primarily a sweet wine with 50+ g/l. There’s a Secco, i.e. Dry, version too, that despite the name, still means that it’s pretty sweet with a range of 17 to 32 g/l.
Franciacorta and Trento are usually produced as Brut Nature, i.e. less than 3 g/l, or Brut i.e. less than 6 g/l.
You can find Prosecco in various sweetness levels, however the most popular is extra-dry, i.e. between 12 to 17 g/l.
Despite the name, Extra Dry is actually more sweet than Brut. I know, it’s confusing…
Generally speaking, there are seven sweetness levels for sparkling wines. Their sweetness level depends on the amount of sugar added during the dosage.
Here are the sweetness levels:
- Brut Nature less than 3 g/l.
- Extra Brut less than 6 g/l.
- Brut less than 12 g/l.
- Extra Dry between 12 to 17 g/l.
- Sec/Dry between 17 to 32 g/l. Despite the name, it’s noticeably sweet.
- Demi-Sec/Medium Dry between 32 to 50 g/l.
- Doux/Sweet 50+ g/l. This is the sweetest level.
Read this article to know more about wine sweetness level.
Spumante vs Prosecco: Which are the best food pairings?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Spumante vs Prosecco from a food pairings point of view.
This is primarily down its bubbles, they clean the palate very well, so you can pair them with greasy and creamy food too.
Classical pairings for Prosecco are French fries, mac & cheese, oysters, lobster, sashimi, fish & chips, fried calamari, and creamy cheese like Camembert for example.
Spumante vs Prosecco: How do you serve and store them?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Spumante vs Prosecco in terms of serving and storing the wine.
Asti Spumante doesn’t need to be decanted. Serve it at 43 – 46 °F (6 – 8 °C) in a flûte glass.
The recommended storage period is up to 1 year.
For other Spumante styles, like Franciacorta and Trento, the storage period can go up to 4 years for non-vintage and up to 10 years for vintage bottles.
Prosecco doesn’t need to be decanted. Serve it at 43 – 50 °F (6 – 10 °C) in a flûte glass.[1]
The recommended storage period is 1 to 2 years for normal bottles and up to 7 years for the finest bottles.
Spumante vs Prosecco: How much do they cost?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Spumante vs Prosecco from a price comparison point of view.
Asti Spumante is an affordable wine. You’ll find good bottles of Asti Spumante at around $10 – $20.
For Franciacorta DOCG and Trento DOC you are in the $20-$30 range.
Unlike Asti Spumante, these wines must spend at least 18 months in touch with the yeast which will add extra complexity to the wine.
They are the Italian “Champagne” in a way, with a very good value for money.
For Prosecco expect $10-$20 for a good bottle and over $40+ if you are after Prosecco Superiore, Cartizze or Rive which are considered the premium selection.
Our Verdict
If you have been through the guide, by now you are a Spumante vs Prosecco expert!
You should also have a good idea of what to expect from your glass of Spumante or Prosecco.
Our recommendation is based on what you’d fancy the most at a particular given moment or event.
Are you after something elegant, bubbly and complex? Then Spumante is your best bet.
Our recommendation for Best Value Spumante is Ferrari Trento Brut N.V. and for Best Overall is Ca’ del Bosco Franciacorta N.V..
If you are just after some refreshing bubbles in an informal event like an aperitif with friends or just for your own break, then go for Altaneve Prosecco Superiore N.V..
If you are after something special go for Bisol Cartizze Prosecco Superiore.
As always make sure to serve your Spumante and Prosecco at the right temperature and glass, so that you can enjoy them at their best.
