Italians love bubblies. No Self Respecting Italian is going to Celebrate New Year's Eve with Anything other than Spumante.

30 Million Bottles!!!! That's about 1 bottle for Every Adult!!

Now all of you know that Sparkling Wine, is called "Spumante" in Italy, "Cava" in Spain, "Sekt" in Germany, and "Champagne" (when from the Champagne region of France), and Sparkling Wine when from any other region of France, and in the US.

Usually, it is made "methode champenoise" a complex process that generates natural bubbles inside the bottle, as opposed to a tank.

Spumante is Italian for "sparkling." It has been co-opted to indicate sweet, fruity wines.

Asti is the name of a town in the Piedmont region of Italy. The wine makers there create a lovely sparkling wine that is perfect to serve with desserts.

Martini & Rossi create a very good sparkling wine from the Moscato Bianco grapes of the region. It is low in alcohol and acidity.

Virtually every region in Italy has some sparkling wine.  Some are fabulous, while others are (how shall we put this delicately?) an "acquired taste."

The names Ca' del Bosco, Bellavista and Ferrari are all good to know when you're in search of fine, Champagne-styled bubbly.

If you do not want a sweet wine look for a secco or prosecco spumante. Secco is the Italian word for "dry." Prosecco is dryer yet. This is the sparkling wine to serve with a special dinner.

WARNING: NO DISHWASHER-WASHED GLASSWARE FOR CHAMPAGNE!

The dishwasher soaps leave a residue which has an anti-foaming agent.  That's why the soap doesn't bubble all over the kitchen floor.  Champagne will bubble for only about 10 seconds in a glass washed with dishwasher soap!!!!!

DID YOU KNOW: Has your champagne lost its sparkle? Revive it by dropping a raisin into the bottle.
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NEW YEAR'S EVE: ITALIANS TO SAVE ON EVERYTHING BUT SPUMANTE

(AGI) - Rome, Dec. 29 - Italians are set to uncork 30 million bottles of spumante wine as part of New Year's Eve Celebrations. Spumante sales are expected to be worth over 150 million euro.

Very few will indulge in expensive dinners and celebrations (20 per cent less than last year), whereas 55 per cent will New Year's Eve dinner at home. Menus will include the ever-present lentils, but most will spare on fish. Austerity is seemingly the rule across the country, with spumante wine being the only exception.

The number of people having dinner outside or taking part in New Year's Eve events is expected to slump 20 per cent compared with last year. Those eating at home will have traditional meals such as lentils with sausages or stuffed pig's trotter. Salmon, caviar, eel and champagne will be bought with parsimony, with sales expected to drop 15 per cent....(AGI) -