February 12, 2021

What country makes the most sparkling wine in the world?

A. Spain

B. Russia

C. Italy

D. France

Every year since 2016, Italy has made more spumante (“sparkling wine” in Italian) than any other country in the world according to the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine). Italy’s achievement has been driven in large part by the skyrocketing success of Prosecco which, at 660 million bottles a year, now makes up more than 10% of all Italian wine produced. Other major types of Italian sparkling wines include Lambrusco, Franciacorta, and Asti.

Becoming Color Blind

“It’s hard to talk about flavor. Tasting something is such a direct neural jolt; words will always seem clumsy and vague. ‘Spicy’ does not begin to express the riot of electrical fires sparking through your skull after you eat a Thai chile. ‘Sour’ hardly touches the way a fresh lemon grips your whole consciousness and squeezes until it weeps.

So we turn to metaphor. Elderflower kombucha is a bottled Scandinavian summer: mild, light, yellow, easy. Coconut water is a Caribbean afternoon. Chianti, as any sommelier will tell you, is the blood of a mortally wounded Vespa. … Coca-Cola is all the gallons of lighter fluid harvested from discarded Bics in the aftermath of a Bruce Springsteen concert.”

—René Redzepi and David Zilber in The Noma Guide to Fermentation (Artisan 2018)

What country makes the most sparkling wine in the world?

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