Italian spumante: discover all about the Alta Langa DOCG
End of the 17th century, French region of Champagne: an old monk sips some drops of wine went sour.
To his surprise the wine had not gone sour, quite the opposite: "it's like drinking stars", he says, referring to the sparkling bubbles in it.
Though we know now it is a legend and Dom Pérignon, the French monk, did not invent the sparkling wine by chance, the effect of a glass of sparkling wine is still the same: it's like drinking stars.
The estimated data gathered by the UIV, Italian Wine Union, shows the wide appreciation for sparkling wines all over the world: 190,000,000 bottles of spumante, prosecco and champagne were likely bought and opened over the past holiday season. The Alta Langa DOCG spumante was a part of the group.
Discover the first Italian spumante, the Alta Langa DOCG
A product for connoisseurs, the Alta Langa DOCG has a long tradition and considered the first Italian spumante.
Carlo Gancia, the founder of the today's worldwide renowned F.lli Gancia company, made it to Reims, France, back in 1848. He wanted to discover everything about the méthode champenoise, the traditional method to produce champagne. He spent 2 years working in a winery there and found out everything he needed to know.
When he came back to Italy, he started his wine business in Canelli, a small village not far from Asti in the Piedmont area. He applied the same traditional method he had learnt and implemented some small changes: et voilà! The first Italian spumante was born in the Fratelli Gancia winery, in Canelli, Piedmont.
By that time, neither Gancia nor other wine makers who had followed his path and started producing sparkling wine applied to get the DOCG certificate, the D'Origine Controllata Garantita (Controlled and Guaranteed Certificate of Origin), the highest quality certification for Italian wines. The Langa area was better known for its incredible red wines, as Barolo and Barbaresco, and sparkling wine seemed more the idea of some whimsical minds.
Although the Alta Langa DOCG was the very first Italian spumante, it was awarded the DOCG certificate only in 2011. The paradox of life!
What is the Alta Langa DOCG spumante like?
The wine makers who intend to produce the Alta Langa DOCG need to follow some rigid and serious rules known as Disciplinare.
The Alta Langa DOCG spumante is made only of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes and it is a vintage wine. The vintage is clearly stated on the bottle label.
Its second fermentation is in bottles as per the traditional method: during the fermentation in bottles yeasts metabolise sugar. This very process produces the vibrant bubbles we are all so passionate about.
At The Red Beetle we decided to partner with a small boutique winery of the Alta Langa area. You can now find the Alta Langa Roberto Garbarino Extra Brut on our online shelf and get ready for some stars in your glass, all year round.
We love its bouquet with perfumes of honey and rennet apples and it's the perfect companion to aperitif, or our favourite, some delicious spaghetti with truffles.
How about you? What's your favourite way to experience some bubbles? Find us on Instagram or Facebook to let us know :)