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A guide for novice consumers When approaching the purchase of a sparkling wine, novice consumers may find themselves faced with a non-trivial choice. “Is it better a sweet or dry sparkling wine?”; “What does Brut sparkling wine mean?”; “With fish dishes which sparkling wine should you buy at the supermarket?”; “Brut or sweet sparkling wine?” These are just some of the questions that you can find online and elsewhere, to which we will answer in the following article. Sweet or dry sparkling wine. How to make the right choice? To start the analysis we need to understand that sparkling wines are differentiated by Italian and European law according to their sugar content, i.e. the quantity of sugars added after the second fermentation. The sugar content of sparkling wine is calculated based on the grams present in 1 liter of alcohol. The degree of sweetness of sparkling wine therefore depends on the quantity of sugars present within it. How can we differentiate a sparkling wine? In general, there are three main categories: dry, soft and sweet sparkling wines: Zero dosage or not dosed or Brut Nature: sparkling wines with a sugar content less than 3 grams/litre. Therefore, these are “ultra dry” sparkling wines which are perfect for aperitifs and fish dishes. Extra brut: sparkling wines with residual sugar between 0 and 6 grams/litre Brut: the most common type. The sugar can oscillate between 0 and 12 grams/litre. Unlike the previous, we can notice that here the range is wider. Extra Dry:...
What do we mean with sparkling wine? In order to better understand the many linguistic and conceptual nuances that exist within the sparkling wine world, and more generally within the wine world, it is important to make things clear starting from the comprehension of the term “sparkling wine”. The sparkling wine is a product obtained with the first and second alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes, of grape must, of wine. It is characterized by the uncorking of the container by a development of carbon dioxide coming exclusively from the fermentation. In order to be considered as such, the alcohol content shall not be less than 9.5% vol. Classification of sparkling wines TheItalian and European law also classifies sparkling wines according to their residual sugar, from Zero Dosage, i.e. when the sugar content is less than 3 gr/l, to Sweet, i.e. when the sugar content is higher than 50 gr/l. Sparkling wine production methods The sparkling wine production, i.e. the second fermentation of wine, can mainly take place through three different ways: Classic Method or Champenoise Method (second fermentation in the bottle) Charmat Method or Martinotti Method (second fermentation in autoclave) Ancestral (natural second fermentation in the bottle). What is Prosecco? Prosecco is a sparkling wine. In order to understand whether it exists or not a difference between sparkling wine and Prosecco, it is essential to start from this definition. The huge success achieved during the years by Prosecco is also the reason why consumers have often used this term in...
Also in 2023 Rocca dei Forti confirms itself as a quality sparkling wine. This time it’s Prosecco DOC Rosé that wins the silver medal at the prestigious international wine and sparkling wine competition: Mundus Vini, one of the most important wine competitions in the world. The Mundus Vini jury is made up of personalities who enjoy a high reputation in the sector, including expert winemakers, excellent sommeliers, specialist retailers, journalists and scientists from all over the world. The results of the competition are distributed over two time spans: the first in spring, the second in summer. The Rocca dei Forti Prosecco DOC Rosé was awarded during the spring session with a silver medal and a score of 88 total points. With a pale pink colour with bright reflections and strong floral and fruity notes that express elegance and finesse, the Rocca dei Forti Prosecco DOC Rosé is a sparkling wine that has a balanced taste between the sugar and acid components, which, combined with the sapidity, give notes of freshness, softness and vivacity on the palate. The Rocca dei Forti Prosecco DOC Rosé, like all the other sparkling wines in the collection, confirms that the Rocca dei Forti are high-quality products, that you can taste in every appropriate situation of your daily life. This medal is in addition to the other awards collected from the Prosecco DOC Rosé sparkling wine. If you want to discover all the other awards Click Here
A recognition that fills us with pride and confirms the goodness of the working method of the Rocca dei Forti brand. A careful, meticulous and result-oriented method, in which tradition, expertise, perseverance and balance allow the Italian sparkling wine competence and elegance to be brought into Italian homes and throughout the world, to celebrate every moment of everyday life. The Rocca dei Forti sparkling wines are the result of the passion of Togni family, which has been the driving force and soul of the winery from its foundation until today. A witness that has been handed down for three generations, with the same vigor, with the same attention to quality as always and with a clear and strong identity at the base. Tasting Rocca dei Forti sparkling wines means celebrating the culture of being “Marchigiano”, in which determination, confidentiality and awareness of our own means allow to reach ambitious and challenging goals. It has been in fact the market leader in Italy for bottles sold in the large-scale retail trade since 2014. Forbes (link) is one of the most important and successful US business magazine in the world. Its articles are published bi-weekly and cover finance, industry, investment and marketing. In addition to this, it also covers other topics that have to do with the economy, such as technology, communication, science, politics and law. The awards ceremony, to which all 100 Italian Food & Beverage 2023 Excellences were invited, will be held on the 13th of April at Palazzo Parigi...
The Charmat Method (or Martinotti Method) is a sparkling wine production technique which differs from that used in the Classic Method (or Champenoise Method). The main difference is that the second fermentation process (i.e. what determines the acquisition of the product’s effervescence and the development of the CO2 dissolved within the product itself) in the Charmat Method takes place inside airtight containers called autoclaves. As regards the Classic Method there is a second fermentation in the bottle. Charmat Method The Charmat Method is a production process of sparkling wines that was born in 1985 from an idea of Federico Martinotti, director of the Experimental Institute for Enology of Asti. However, in 1910 Eugene Charmat patented the sparkling method developed by Martinotti. In order to produce a Charmat Method sparkling wine you can start from a cuvée of basic wines. After the normal fermentation process, these wines undergo a second fermentation in which you have to add yeasts and sugars. During this phase the yeasts consume the sugars and transform them into alcohol and carbon dioxide, giving rise to the characteristic bubbles. When the period in which the wine rests on the yeasts drags on beyond 9 months, we speak of Long Charmat Method. The phases of the Charmat method Most of the phases of the sparkling wine production with the Charmat method take place in isobaric conditions, in order not to disperse the carbon dioxide developed during the fermentation processes. The detailed sequence for producing a Charmat method sparkling wine is the following: Blend...
When we refer to Brut sparkling wine, we are talking about a dry sparkling wine with a sugar residue lower than 12 g/l. The word Brut comes from the French and means “pure, raw”. You can find this indication on the labels of sparkling wines and it is used to define a dry and not sweet sparkling wine. Sparkling wines are divided into 3 macro categories according to the sugar residue: dry, soft and sweet sparkling wines In addition to this, there is another classification into seven different types: Pas Dosé or Brut Nature: with sugar content less than 3 g/l; Extra-brut: with sugar content ranging between 0 and 6 g/l; Brut: with sugar content less than 12 g/l; Extra-dry: with sugar content ranging between 12 and 17 g/l; Dry or sec-dry-medium sweet: with sugar content ranging between 17 and 32 g/l; Demi-sec or medium dry: with sugar content ranging between 32 and 50 g/l; Sweet: with sugar content exceeding 50 g/l. Thanks to this classification, you can notice that a real Brut sparkling wine is a sparkling wine that has a sugar content between 6 and 12 g/l. Rocca dei Forti Brut Sparkling Wine: the best-selling one in Italy* Rocca dei Forti Brut sparkling wine is the result of all the company’s experience and history. It is a dry and very fresh wine. It is processed at controlled temperature and pressure according to the Charmat method. Rocca dei Forti Brut is a sparkling wine for those who love to live simply and know how to indulge...
Rocca dei Forti enters the ranking of the 5 best sparkling wines of 2022 in large-scale distribution
The ranking drawn up by Trend Online, an influential online business newspaper, rewards the 5 best sparkling wines for sale in 2022 in large-scale distribution. Rocca dei Forti, already market leader in 2014 in large-scale distribution, is included together with other major sparkling wine brands because its versatility makes it the perfect pairing for both fish-based first courses and white meats. The mouthfeel is long and balanced and we are talking about a wine that is a certainty for all Italians in terms of reliability. Reliability certified by a delicate method that pays great attention to respect for raw materials and a constant process of measuring the quality of its sparkling wines. Discover the complete ranking
