Pour an Asti Spumante and a bottle of Franciacorta side by side and the only thing they are guaranteed to share is the word "Spumante" on the label. It is not a grape, a region or a method: it is the Italian legal term for any wine sparkling enough to need a mushroom cork and a wire cage.
A pressure category, not a style
Italian law splits sparkling wine by pressure. Spumante means at least 3 atmospheres, fully sparkling; frizzante means 1 to 2.5 atmospheres, a softer prickle that can be closed with an ordinary cork. Nothing in the word "Spumante" says how the bubbles got there or what grape is inside.
What hides behind the label
Asti Spumante is Moscato, low in alcohol and sweet, made in a single fermentation without a dosage. Prosecco is often labelled Spumante when it is bottled at full pressure rather than as the gentler frizzante version most restaurants pour by the glass. Franciacorta, being bottle-fermented, is always Spumante; the traditional method builds enough pressure that a frizzante version is not really possible. Three completely different wines, one shared word.
FAQ
Is Spumante a grape or a region?
Neither. It describes pressure and fizziness only. The grape, region and method have to come from elsewhere on the label.
What is the difference between Spumante and Frizzante?
Pressure. Spumante needs at least 3 atmospheres and a cage-secured cork; Frizzante sits at 1 to 2.5 atmospheres and can even be finished with a screw cap.
Is Prosecco always Spumante?
No, plenty is bottled as the gentler Frizzante. When a Prosecco label says Spumante, expect a fuller, more insistent mousse.