Midnight toasts on New Year's Eve: the best Italian sparkling wines to celebrate with

It is almost midnight. The hands of the clock mark the countdown that separates the old year from the new one, and time to organise a toast is in short supply: you need the right wine, that lively and aromatic product with which to celebrate the new beginning. What better sparkling wine could perform this task than a bubbly from the Bel Paese?

3 - 2 - 1... With a wish for a Happy New Year, here are the best Italian sparkling wines to uncork for a midnight toast! 

Countdown in the company of Alta Langa DOCG

For some, there is no New Year's Eve toast worthy of the name without the traditional outdoor celebration complete with countdown and fireworks. So why not celebrate by bringing along a lively, quality bubbly to uncork at just the right moment? The ideal candidate among the wines suggested for the NYE is the Alta Langa DOCG Metodo Classico.

In a goblet of Alta Langa "Oltrequota Cinquecento" Brut DOCG - Vite Colte you will not only find the fine and persistent effervescence that you would expect when uncorking a good sparkling wine, but there is much more! This product - obtained from the vinification of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes and long fermentation and maturation processes on yeasts - is a riot of unmistakable aromas. In the hustle and bustle of the evening, its bewitching straw-yellow colour may go unnoticed, but the aroma of dried fruit and bread crust (the latter being typical of the Metodo Classico) will come through strongly on the nose, while the palate will be tickled by a fresh effervescence, capable of defatting even the most full-bodied aperitifs.

During the last night of the year, Piedmont's Alta Langa is perfect when sipped alone, at a temperature of 8°C. However, this sparkling wine is at its best when accompanied by a plate of street food, such as fish and chips or other fried delicacies with which to break the midnight languor!

End-of-year celebrations and wine: a romantic toast with Franciacorta DOCG

A candlelit dinner, sophisticated dishes and a magical atmosphere. A New Year's Eve evening spent as a couple in the privacy of one's own home is definitely an underrated way to celebrate this event. What could be more romantic than reminiscing about the best moments spent together over the past year, celebrating one's love in peace and quiet?

An evening like this, amidst chatting, cuddling, a warm blanket on your lap and maybe a Christmas-themed movie on the TV, cries out for a versatile sparkling wine, which can be drunk with a simple packet of crisps, some fried food, or (why not?), with a midnight spaghetti with the leftover seafood linguine from dinner.

Whatever your favourite snack for the evening, among the best wines for celebrating New Year's Eve is Franciacorta, to be served at an ideal temperature of around 10°.

This Metodo Classico is a wine that tickles the nose with its hints of bread crust, obtained from the long period of ageing on the lees. The robe it wears is perfect for the festive season: straw yellow in colour, it conquers the eye with reflections ranging from golden to green, even touching on unique coppery tones in its more aged versions.

Enlivened by a persistent effervescence, a glass of Franciacorta also offers aromas of dried fruit and citrus fruits on the nose, while the palate is harmonious and savoury, slightly acidic and very refreshing.

Elevate your New Year celebrations with Prosecco!

Talking about Italian bubbly without mentioning Prosecco is an almost impossible task. This sparkling wine, made from the Glera grape variety, is the pride of two different regions of the Peninsula: Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where it is produced with particularly fine results in the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene area.

Prosecco is the perfect companion for aperitifs and parties with friends, thanks to its fresh, youthful spirit and surprising versatility, which allows it to go well with many gastronomic preparations, from fried food to rustic, from cold cuts and cheese platters to fish or vegetable dishes. It is also thanks to these chameleon-like abilities that it is one of the best wines for the midnight toast.

The combination of Italian sparkling wines and New Year's Eve can really start with a glass of Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG Extra Dry, which will be perfectly at home during an unpretentious party with friends, chatting on the sofa or enjoying board games. At the countdown, it will look great with savoury snacks, to which it will complement nicely thanks to its good structure and fine, fragrant perlage. In particular, hints of white flowers and white-fleshed fruit, with hints of citrus, stand out. The palate offers a concentration of freshness and flavour, perfectly enhanced by the ideal serving temperature, which in the case of this wine is between 6°-8°C.

Trento DOC and snowflakes

What could be more representative of winter than a beautiful night snowfall on New Year's Eve? For all those who have chosen an alternative celebration - be it a stroll through the city centre or an evening in a mountain hut - there is nothing better than the quintessential Alpine bubbly to toast the New Year.

Perfect to uncork during a New Year's Eve in the mountains is the Trento DOC Metodo Classico, one of the best sparkling wines for the festive season. Born from the combination of the cold climate of the mountain areas and the mild climate of the Ora del Garda, this wine carries the multifaceted identity of Trentino-Alto Adige.

The processing of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Meunier grapes results in a product that displays a bouquet of apricot, apple, exotic fruit and bread crust, as well as floral notes of jasmine. Really excellent when enjoyed between 8° and 12°C with fried fish or - in its sweeter versions - with Christmas desserts. 

Asti DOC: a sweet farewell to the old year

Not everyone celebrates the last night of the year in the same way: there are those who can't wait to go out and celebrate in a sophisticated club as a couple or with friends, and those who prefer to experience this transitional moment in the tranquillity of their own home, perhaps with their family.

Such an evening - in the name of comfort and quiet conviviality - deserves an equally cosy toast, even better if it involves the pairing of a glass of bubbly with something good to eat.

Spumante Asti DOCG, one of Italy's finest sweet sparkling wines, takes care of this. The merit of its success lies first and foremost in its fragrant perlage, which tickles the nose right from the olfactory examination with bewitching scents of jasmine and acacia, enlivened by notes of peach and apple. This characteristic, however, is just one of the many that make this Piedmontese bubbly so great, to be drunk one sip after another thanks to an innate and pleasant freshness.

Uncorking a bottle at the stroke of midnight is not enough: since New Year's Eve traditions and wine go hand in hand, this bubbly must absolutely be enjoyed with typical Christmas sweets, possibly at a serving temperature of 8°C.

Now that you know the top 5 best Italian sparkling wines with which to make your New Year's toast, you have no more excuses: look for your favourite bubbly in the Svinando catalogue!