Does Prosecco really gets its sparkles from injecting CO2?

While browsing the website of a multi-award-winning UK wine merchant recently, I came across a description of Prosecco that made me stop and reread it several times to make sure I had read it correctly. According to them, Prosecco gets its bubbles from 'injecting CO2.' This is not only incorrect, it’s a basic wine knowledge, and a mistake that no wine merchant should make let alone an award winning one.

Prosecco is made using the Charmat method (also called the Martinotti method), where the second fermentation takes place in tanks, not by injecting carbon dioxide. This is common knowledge among wine professionals, and even included in beginner guides like "Wine for Dummies". So, to read this on a multi-award-winning wine retailer reinforces my belief: awards aren’t always a sign of credibility.

My visit to that website wasn’t random. I was searching on Google to see if Alta Langa DOCG, a high-quality Italian sparkling wine, was known in the UK market. It’s a relatively unknow appellation, and I hadn’t come across any before. We had recently added an Alta Langa Pas Dosé to our range, so I was curious to see whether the appellation was already known.

In case you're unfamiliar, Alta Langa is a DOCG appellation from Piedmont, in northwestern Italy. These are classic method sparkling wines, meaning the second fermentation, the one that creates the bubbles, happens inside the bottle, just like with Champagne or Franciacorta. Alta Langa wines are elegant, complex, and made only from grapes grown in the Langhe hills of Piemonte. Their quality is exceptional, and their production limited.

I found a few articles, one from Decanter, speaking highly of Alta Langa and its potential. But beyond that, not much. Then, a few days later (as tends to happen to everyone), an ad for an Alta Langa wine popped up in my social media feed. Curious, I clicked.

That’s when I found the wine merchant’s website that incorrectly stated that Prosecco is made by injecting CO2, and that Alta Langa was made “the proper way.” That statement is misleading on several levels.

There’s a common assumption that the traditional method (like that used for Champagne and Alta Langa) is inherently better than the Charmat method used for Prosecco. While it’s true that classic method wines are often more complex and certainly more expensive to produce, that doesn’t mean they are “better.” They're just different.

Prosecco and Alta Langa serve different purposes and suit different tastes. Prosecco is fresh, fruity, and vibrant. Alta Langa is refined, structured, and age-worthy. Each method has its place, and each offers something different to wine lovers. Saying one is the “proper” way is misleading and suggests a lack of knowledge.

At Italyabroad.com, we made a conscious decision not to enter wine competitions after a couple of early experiences. We realized quickly it wasn’t for us. Instead of spending thousands on awards and competitions, we choose to invest that money where it really matters, into our wines and into lower prices for our customers.

Our mission has always been to seek out hidden gems from small, independent Italian producers, wineries focused on quality, sustainability, and authenticity.

Ultimately, our frustration with that wine merchant’s Prosecco description wasn’t personal. We’re not making names because this isn’t about calling anyone out. It’s about highlighting a larger issue in the wine industry: the misinformation and the over-reliance on awards as a measure of quality.

If you’re a wine drinker looking to explore, learn, and enjoy, the best thing you can do is to ask questions. Talk to merchants who should really know their stuff. And don’t assume that a gold sticker means a better wine or a better wine merchant.

At Italyabroad.com, we’ll keep doing things our way, no awards, no gimmicks. Just real wine, from real producers, for real people who care guided by our knowledge and expertise.