sparkling wines

Sparkling wine is a white wine that sparkles. It is neither a still wine nor a sparkling wine, but a kind of intermediate stage. Sparkling wines do not fizz as much as sparkling wine or champagne and are characterized by a slight sweetness. This sweetness balances the taste of the slight spiciness caused by the carbon dioxide. Sparkling wines have a minimum alcohol content of 8.5 vol. %.

In Italy, these "semi-sparkling" sparkling wines are given the suffix frizzante . The Prosecco frizzante, which is so popular in Germany, is a typical Italian semi-sparkling wine, in contrast to the sparkling wine Prosecco spumante.