Frizzante (fizzy) is a semi-sparkling Italian wine. The gentle bubbles are produced during a secondary fermentation in large pressurized, sealed stainless steel tanks that trap the bubble creating carbon dioxide inside. This method is called the Charmat or tank method. The Charmat method is used with grape varieties that are highly aromatic, helping to preserve the fresh fruity aromas and flavors.
The ideal time to drink Frizzante – ” … when you want a joyful, quintessentially Italian, democratically priced wine that you can cheerfully polish off a bottle of,” according to Richard Baudains, Decanter World Wine Awards regional chair for Veneto. What better time than now during the holiday season to open a bottle of Frizzante from Piedmont and enjoy it with a selection of holiday sweet treats.
This month the Italian Food, Wine, and Travel group is exploring sparkling wines from Italy. Join the group on Twitter December 5th at 11:00 AM ET for our chat (using hashtag #ItalianFWT to follow and join the conversation), and be sure to read more articles on sparkling wines of Italy from the group at the end of this post.
The Difference between the fizziness in sparkling wines
Atmospheres of pressure in sparkling wines determine the level of effervescence or strength of the bubbles; the higher the atmospheric pressure, the stronger the bubbles.
Semi-sparkling wines like Frizzante (Italian), Petillant (French), and Spritzig (German) have between 1- 2.5 atmospheres of pressure.
Fully sparkling wines like Champagne (French), Crémant (French & Luxembourg), Spumante (Italian), and Sekt (German) have between 5-6 atmospheres of pressure.
Mosketto Frizzante from Southeastern Piedmont
Disclosure: I received three bottles of Mosketto Frizzante from Donna White Communications as media samples. All opinions are my own.
The Mosketto brand is produced by MGM Mondo del Vino, founded in 1991 by three oenologists and winemakers. In 2005, they sold a large proportion of their shares to their management team, and in 2013, the company became part of the Mondodelvi S.p.A. group.
The vineyards are located on the hilly ridge that goes from Acqui Terme in Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG to Santo Stefano Belbo in the Asti and Moscato d’ Asti DOCG at an altitude between 250-400 meters. The soils are mostly light limestone marl with some sandy component.
The two grape varieties in the Mosketto Frizzante wines are Moscato Bianco, also known in French as Muscat Blanc à Petits Grain, considered the finest of the muscat grape varieties. It is highly aromatic with notes of rose petals, mandarin orange, honeysuckle, Meyer lemon, and vanilla bean. The red grape variety is Brachetto, a light red grape variety with strong floral and fruity aromatic notes of raspberries, strawberries, cherries, and rose petals.
My Tasting Notes
Mosketto Frizzante Bianco
5% abv | $12.00 SRP (sample) | 100% Moscato
Pale straw in color with a light body and medium(-) acidity. Aromas of orange blossom, honeysuckle, and sweet oranges. On the palate, sweet with light, delicate tiny refreshing bubbles and flavors of mandarin orange, ripe pear, and white peach balanced with a hint of acidity.
Mosketto Frizzante Rosato
5.5% abv | $12.00 SRP (sample) | Moscato and Brachetto
Pale pink in color with medium(-) body and acidity. Aromas of black currant. On the palate, sweet with light creamy effervescent bubbles and flavors of mandarin orange, black currant, and raspberry.
Mosketto Frizzante Rosso
5.5% abv | $12.00 SRP (sample) | 100% Brachetto
Pale ruby in color with medium body, medium(-) acidity, and low tannins. Aromas of cherries, raspberries, and rose petals. On the palate, sweet with light creamy bubbles and flavors of sweet cherries and raspberries.
Food Pairings
The wines are sweet with low alcohol, highly aromatic, and gently sparkling. Holiday sweet treats that are less sweet than the wines proved to be the perfect festive pairings with these wines. The Frizzante Blanco and Rosato paired nicely with treats made with almonds or pistachios. The wine highlighted and emphasized those nut flavors, and the treats balanced out the wine’s sweetness. The Panettone also offset the sweetness in the wine, giving the wine a higher perception of acidity, in a good way.
This was my first taste of the grape variety Brachetto. I read Brachetto pairs beautifully with chocolate! The pairing with the chocolate truffles and chocolate crinkle cookies did not disappoint. Like the nuts to the Moscato, the Brachetto enhanced the chocolate flavor in both the chocolate crinkle cookies and chocolate truffles.
The only cookie that did not wow me as a pairing was the cranberry oat and white chocolate biscuit. It was a neutral pairing.
Other pairings I would suggest are a fresh or simple stone fruit and berry desserts, poached pears, light mousse desserts, and panna cotta.
It is the season to celebrate and be grateful for even the smallest of wonders in our lives. I encourage you to take a pause to enjoy a glass of Frizzante with some holiday sweet treats.
from top left; cranberry oat and white chocolate biscuits, chocolate crinkle cookies, Panettone, Italian almond cookies, chocolate truffles, pistachio wedding cookies
Sources: The Wine Bible, Karen MacNeil, The Oxford Companion to Wine, Jancis Robinson, Daring Pairings, Evan Goldstein, WineFolly.com, wine-searcher.com, naturalmerchants.com
Discover more sparkling wines from Italy with the Italian Food, Wine, and Travel Group ~
- Terri of Our Good Life says Beviamo alla nostra! Prosecco Superiore and Happy Christmas!
- Marcia of Joy of Wine is Celebrating the Season with sparkling Freisa.
- Cindy of Grape Experiences writes about Pure Trentodoc – Sparkling Wines from the Mountains.
- Jill of L’Occasion encourages us to Be in Italy for the Holidays with This Bubbly Wine Lineup.
- Gwendolyn of Wine Predator pushes Beyond Prosecco? Try These Sustainable Sparkling Wines from Italy’s Erbaluce, Franciacorta, Lambrusco, Pignoletto.
- Lynn of Savor the Harvest gives us Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco to Make Your Holiday Sparkle – La Tordera Rive Di Guia.
- Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm says Cheers to 2021…2020 Don’t Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out.
- Susannah of Avvinare pours Versatile Lambrusco for the Holidays.
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Deanna of Asian Test Kitchen serves Val D’Oca Prosecco Paired with Party Starters.
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Payal of Keep the Peas offers A ‘SeeYaNever2020’ Toast with Italian Bubbly.
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Linda of My Full Wine Glass says Hello Again, Lambrusco – Everyone Deserves a Second Chance.
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Jane of Always Ravenous pairs a Frizzante with Holiday Sweet Treats.
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Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles pours Prosecco – Joyful Bubbles to “Wring” Out 2020.
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Jen of Vino Travels is ready to Sparkle up the Holidays with Italian Prosecco.
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Martin of ENOFYLZ Wine Blog offers A Taste of 21st Century Lambrusco; Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara Radice.
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Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla is Celebrating with Prosecco Superiore Amidst the Pandemic.
Oh…that sweet treats tray looks delectable! Did you make the Panettone?
I did not make the Panettone, I purchased that at Wholefoods and most of the cookies at a local artisan bakery.
There’s always a place for wines with sweetness in my house although I haven’t had many Moscato d’Asti or others in the frizzante category except Brachetto, which needs more love. What you’ve done here with a plate of holiday cookies could easily replace December afternoon tea time. Holiday cheers Jane!
I do agree, December Frizzante time with cookies I can so picture that!
Here’s to celebrating small wonders! The wines sound lovely. I was sad to hear your cranberry cookie did not pair as well, I was thinking the cranberry with the Brachetto would be nice.
You have inspired me to try to find some time to do a bit of cookie baking.
I also thought the cranberry cookie would work. Truth be told, it was the only sweet I made on the platter. Baking in my house comes after all the hustle and bustle part.
Mmmmm – Brachetto and chocolate. I’ve forgotten how much I love, love, love this pairing. Good with a raspberry filling, too.
Nice article about these frizzante wines, I have never tried these Mosketto wines, they seem interesting for sure.