What does spumante mean?
Spumante is a word for sparkling wine, most often used in reference to Italian varieties. Although it can describe sparkling wine generally, its strongest association is with lightly sparkling Italian wines served at celebrations, restaurants, and formal occasions. Its meaning is slightly broader than that of a specific wine category: prosecco, for example, is a style of Italian sparkling wine and can itself be described as spumante. The term comes directly from Italian, where spumante means “foaming” or “sparkling” and refers to the appearance and effervescence of the wine. In English, it provides a convenient and recognizably Italian alternative to “sparkling wine,” while retaining a more specific connection to Italian wine culture. Spumante may be used for wines beyond those labeled prosecco, so it should not be treated as synonymous with any single grape, region, or style.
nounA sparkling Italian wine, typically lightly sparkling rather than fully effervescent. The term is also used more broadly for sparkling wine in some English-speaking countries.
- An Italian sparkling wine, especially one with relatively light effervescence.
"They served chilled spumante with the seafood dinner."
"The restaurant recommended a dry spumante to accompany the fish."
"At the celebration, bottles of spumante were opened for midnight."
Plural is uncommon because spumante is usually used as an uncountable noun for the wine; the plural occurs when referring to individual bottles or servings.
"The shop stocks several spumantes from small Italian producers."
Spumante comes from the Italian word for “foaming,” preserving a taste of the bubbles in its sound.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spumante come from?
Spumante is borrowed from Italian, in which it means “foaming” or “sparkling” and is used for a lightly effervescent wine. Italian spumante derives from spumare, meaning “to foam,” which is related to Latin spuma, “foam.” English words such as spume and spumous come from the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How spumante is actually used
The word is commonly used for Italian sparkling wine and is sometimes used more loosely for sparkling wine generally. It may sound more traditional or restaurant-oriented than the plain English term “sparkling wine.”
Easily confused with spumante
Spumante is an Italian term for sparkling wine, whereas sparkling wine is the general English category and may include wines from many countries.
Prosecco is a particular style of Italian sparkling wine, while spumante is a broader term that can describe several kinds of sparkling Italian wine.