Semi-sparkling Prosecco is called frizzante. It has a gentler sparkle than spumante, the fully sparkling style. Frizzante describes the fizz, not the sweetness, so check the rest of the label before deciding whether the wine suits the meal you have in mind.
Not everyone wants the same amount of fizz in a glass. If you have ever wondered whether Prosecco comes with a gentler sparkle, frizzante is the word you were looking for.
It describes a deliberate style, with lighter bubbles than spumante. The rest of the wine still has its own story.
How does semi-sparkling Prosecco differ from spumante?
The Prosecco DOC consortium describes frizzante as having lighter, less persistent bubbles. Spumante is the fully sparkling expression. Tranquillo is still, with no bubbles.
Those names describe different intended styles. A frizzante wine is not a spumante that failed to keep its fizz.
Is frizzante sweeter?
The word does not tell you that. Sparkle and sweetness are different characteristics. Read the wine's description and any relevant sweetness information rather than assuming a softer fizz means more sugar.
Our Prosecco sweetness guide explains Brut, Extra Dry and the other sparkling sweetness terms. The Prosecco styles guide puts color, fizz and sweetness alongside each other.
How is the sparkle made?
The Prosecco DOC specification permits natural fermentation in bottle or in pressure tanks for frizzante. It is therefore too broad to claim that every Prosecco style must use precisely the same sparkling method.
Bella Principessa white Brut and rosé Brut are sparkling wines with their own product descriptions. Frizzante is a category term to recognize, not a name for an additional Bella Principessa bottle.
For the fully sparkling tank process, read Martinotti method; for the no-bubble version, see still Prosecco.
Sources
Prosecco DOC types; production regulations, Article 5.
