You're Invited: An Exploration of Italian Sparkling Wines for the Holidays #ItalianFWT

As we head into our December Italian Food Wine Travel bloggers' event, I'm posting the theme for the last #ItalianFWT post of the year: An Exploration of Italian Sparkling Wines for the Holidays. I wanted to give folks a little more latitude than tracking down a single varietal or event limiting them to a particular region. So, for next month's #ItalianFWT, we're going uncomplicated and, hopefully, easy to source. And you have just under a month to prepare, so breathe easy.

There are a few bloggers who have received a selection of Prosecco Superiore from the Consorzio of Prosecco Superiore DOCG, but feel free to explore any and all sparkling wines from Italy.

Frizzante and Spumante are common to see on bottles of Italian sparkling wine, is there a difference? Those terms are used to describe varying levels of bubbles. 'Frizzante' is usually used to describe a lightly sparkling wine while 'spumante' usually refers to a fully effervescent wine.

And while we typically classify wines by varietal used or location made, I think sparkling wines can also be categorized by the way in which the bubbles were made. For instance there's the Metodo Classico, or Metodo Champenoise which is the same method used in Champagne, when the secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle. And there's the Charmat method, a process that's still referred to as the Martinotti method in Prosecco, when the second fermentation occurs in a tank.

Prosecco is probably the most well-known Italian sparkling wine, at least in America, but Prosecco Superiore or Prosecco DOCG is a little less familiar. Last July, I led the group in a deep dive on Prosecco Superiore. You can see all of our posts in my article - Climbing the Prosecco Hierarchy: To Prosecco Superiore diCartizze with Steamed Clams, Smoked Scallops, and Capellini.

And, in June 2019, Jen of Vino Travels had us looking at Lambrusco, a sparkling red wine from the Emilia-Romagna region. You can see all of our posts in my article - Every Wine Deserves a Second Look: Warmed Brie with Mulberry Chutney + Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco di Sorbara Vecchia Modena 2018. I was pleasantly surprised to learn there was more to that wine than the almost sticky sweet wine that pours with a cap of bubblegum colored froth. In fact, I'm a Lambrusco convert and will be sharing one with a savory pie soon.

Earlier this year, Cindy of Grapes Experiences, led a discussion of Brachetto d'Acqui, a lightly sparkling wine that is made entirely from Brachetto grapes grown in the town of Acqui Terme in the southern Piedmont. You can see all of our posts in my article - Stracotto di Manzo al Vino Rosso + Brachetto d'Acqui.

You're Invited!

While you are more than welcome to share your favorite Prosecco or Asti, I'd be tickled to see some articles about lesser known Italian bubbles such as Franciacorta DOCG, a sparkling wine from Brescia in Lombary, or Trento DOC, bubblies from the mountains of Trentino-Alto Adige. Be creative!

Not Only Wines

Though sparkling Italian wines will be a focus, if you would like to write about travel or food in Italy during the holidays, have at it. I always welcome a virtual trip to my favorite country!

Details for participation

Are you ready to jump in and participate in the Sparkling Italian Wines for the Holidays #ItalianFWT event? Here are the details…

Send an email to tell me you're in: Include your blog url, Twitter handle, link to your Pinterest profile, and any other social media detail. If you know your blog post title now, include that...but you can send me that a bit closer to the event, I'd like to get a sense of who's participating and give some shoutouts and links as we go. The email is constantmotioncamilla[at]gmail[dot]com.

Send your post title to me by Sunday, November 29th, to be included in the preview post. I will do a preview post shortly after getting the titles, linking to your blogs. When your post goes live, the published title should include "#ItalianFWT" but it doesn't need to be included for the title list. 

Publish your post anytime between Friday, December 4th and Saturday, December 5th at 6 o'clock, Pacific time. You can always schedule your post in advance if you will be tied up around then.

Include a link to the other #ItalianFWT participants in your post, and a description of what the event is about. I'll provide the html code you can easily put in your initial post--which will link to people's general blog url--then updated code for the permanent links to everyone's #ItalianFWT posts.

Get social! After the posts go live, please visit your fellow bloggers posts' to comment and share.

Sponsored posts OK if clearly disclosed. Please be sure to disclose if your post is sponsored or if you are describing wine or other products for which you have received a free sample.

Live #ItalianFWT Twitter Chat December 5, 11 a.m. ET: Participating bloggers and others interested in the subject will connect via a live Twitter chat. It's a nice bring way to bring in others interested in the subject who didn't get a chance to share a blog post. You can definitely still join the blog event if you're not available for the live chat.