What Is Sparkling Red Wine? A Beginner’s Guide

Sparkling red wine brings together the depth and fruit of a red wine with the lift of bubbles, and it has been made this way for well over a century. It is sparkling wine made from red grapes, made the same way as any other sparkling wine, through a second fermentation that traps carbon dioxide in the bottle or tank.

Here are the basics:

Colour: Deep red to purple, from skin contact with red grapes

Sweetness: Ranges from bone dry to sweet, depending on style

Serving temperature: Chilled, around 10 to 14°C

Alcohol: Similar to most table wines, roughly 11 to 13%

Best known examples: Lambrusco from Italy and sparkling shiraz from Australia

What Is Sparkling Red Wine?

Sparkling red wine is wine made from red grapes that has been given bubbles, usually through a second fermentation that traps carbon dioxide. It sits alongside sparkling white and sparkling rosé as one of the three colours a sparkling wine can be.

It is far less common than sparkling white or rosé. Most sparkling wine grapes are white, or are black grapes pressed off their skins quickly so the juice stays pale. Sparkling red keeps the juice in contact with red skins longer, which gives it colour, tannin, and deeper fruit flavour, all while it still carries bubbles.

Jargon explained: tannin

Tannin is a natural compound from grape skins and seeds. It gives red wine its dry, gripping feel on the tongue, a bit like the sensation of strong black tea. See our guide to wine terms for more like this.

How Is Sparkling Red Wine Made?

Sparkling red wine is made using the same core methods as any other sparkling wine. The winemaker starts with a still base wine, then triggers a second fermentation. This is either in the bottle (traditional method) or in a large pressurised tank (tank or Charmat method), which produces the carbon dioxide that becomes the bubbles. Our comparison of sparkling wine methods goes into more detail.

Lambrusco, Italy’s best-known sparkling red, is mostly made using the tank method, though some producers also use the traditional method or an older ancestral method, according to MasterClass. The method affects bubble size and texture more than colour.

Wine knowledge: skin contact controls the colour

A winemaker can decide how long the juice stays in contact with red grape skins before pressing. More time means darker colour and more tannin. Less time gives a lighter red or a rosé.

 

Researchers at Spain’s Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León have found that getting the base wine’s alcohol level, mouthfeel and colour right before the second fermentation is essential for good red sparkling wine, a balancing act that white sparkling wine does not need in the same way, according to a 2019 study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

What Does Sparkling Red Wine Taste Like?

Sparkling red wine tastes like a red wine with extra lift. Expect dark fruit, a touch of spice, and a softer fizz than most sparkling whites.

• Colour: Deep ruby to almost black
• Body: Fuller than sparkling white or rosé, because of the tannin
• Flavour: Blackberry, plum, cherry, sometimes pepper or spice
• Sweetness: Dry to sweet, depending on the style and how much sugar is added at the end (referred to as brut, extra dry or demi-sec)
• Bubbles: Often a soft, gentle mousse rather than an aggressive fizz

What Are the Main Styles of Sparkling Red Wine?

Two countries lead the way with sparkling red, each with its own grape and character.

Lambrusco has been made this way since at least 1860, when a producer in Modena began bottling it for sale rather than serving it only from the barrel, according to La Cucina Italiana, 2023.

Sparkling shiraz has a shorter history. It grew out of Australian winemakers using the Shiraz grape they had in abundance to create a distinctive, uniquely Australian style of fizzy red, still made today, as Wine Enthusiast, 2024 explains.

English sparkling red

England is famous for its sparkling white and sparkling rosé, made mostly from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. Sparkling red is a much smaller part of that picture. It tends to be lighter in body and drier in style than Lambrusco or sparkling shiraz, closer to a delicate, fruit-led fizz than a rich, spiced one.

English sparkling wine sales reached 6.2 million bottles in 2023, up 187% since 2018, according to WineGB, 2024, and the vast majority of that is white or rosé. WineGB’s own production figures split English sparkling wine into roughly 78% white and 22% rosé, according to TerroirSense Wine Review. This means sparkling red does not even register as a separate category in the national data. Only a handful of estates make it in small volumes, which is why it surprises people who assume sparkling wine only comes in white or pink.

How Should You Serve Sparkling Red Wine?

Sparkling red is best served chilled, but not as cold as sparkling white. Wines with more tannin taste harsher when they are too cold, according to VinePair, 2023, so around 10 to 14°C keeps sparkling red refreshing without making the tannin feel sharp.

• Chill the bottle for around 30 minutes in the fridge before serving, or see our guide to storing sparkling wine if you are keeping a bottle for later
• Use a standard wine glass rather than a flute, so the aromas have room to open (our guide to glasses for sparkling wine explains why)
• Open and pour it the same way as any other sparkling wine, expecting a gentler mousse
• If you do not finish the bottle, recork it the right way to keep the bubbles for another day

What Food Pairs Well With Sparkling Red Wine?

The combination of fruit, tannin and bubbles makes sparkling red a flexible match for food that would usually overwhelm a delicate sparkling white.

• Charcuterie and cured meats: The bubbles cut through the fat
• Pizza and tomato-based pasta: A classic Lambrusco pairing
• Barbecue and grilled meats: Works well with the bolder, spiced sparkling shiraz style
• Spiced dishes: A touch of sweetness in some styles helps balance heat
• Chocolate desserts: Sweeter sparkling reds can stand up to dark chocolate

Sparkling red also makes an unusual but interesting choice for a wedding, alongside the more familiar sparkling white or rosé. Our guide to wedding wine etiquette and traditions has more on choosing wine for the day.

How Is Sparkling Red Different From Sparkling Rosé and Sparkling White?

The difference comes down to skin contact. Sparkling white is usually made from white grapes, or from black grapes pressed off their skins almost immediately, so no colour transfers into the juice. Sparkling rosé keeps the juice in contact with red skins only briefly, giving it a pale pink colour and light body.

Sparkling red keeps that contact going much longer through fermentation, which carries across the deep colour, tannin, and fuller body that sets it apart from the other two. Wine science also recognises it as its own style.

A 2015 study by researchers at the University of Adelaide analysed 139 Australian sparkling wines, sorting them into white, rosé, red, Prosecco, and Moscato styles using their chemical fingerprint and confirming that red sparkling wine has a distinct enough profile to be told apart from the others by chemistry alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is sparkling red wine served warm or cold?

Cold, but not as cold as sparkling white. Around 10 to 14°C keeps it refreshing without making the tannin feel harsh.

Is sparkling red wine sweet?

It depends on the style. Lambrusco ranges from bone dry to sweet, while sparkling shiraz is usually made slightly off-dry.

What is the most famous sparkling red wine?

Lambrusco from Italy is the best known internationally. Sparkling shiraz from Australia is a close second, and something of a national tradition there.

Can sparkling red wine age?

Most sparkling red is made to be drunk young and fresh. Some premium traditional method versions, particularly certain sparkling shiraz, are made to develop with a few years of age.

Does England make sparkling red wine?

Yes, though only a small number of estates make it. English sparkling wine is dominated by white and rosé styles, split roughly 78% to 22% according to WineGB’s own figures, with sparkling red too small a category to be tracked separately. When it is made, it is usually from Pinot Noir, in a lighter and drier style than Lambrusco or sparkling shiraz.

How much sparkling red wine does the UK produce?

No separate published figure exists. WineGB tracks English sparkling wine as white and rosé only, at around 78% and 22% of production. Sparkling red sits inside a small pool of experimental or limited-release wines made by individual estates, rather than as a recognised category of its own.

Sources

• WineGB, 2024: data on English sparkling wine sales and growth
• TerroirSense Wine Review: breakdown of English sparkling wine production by colour
• Wine Enthusiast, 2024: history of Australian Shiraz and its sparkling red style
• La Cucina Italiana, 2023: history of Lambrusco as a sparkling red wine
• MasterClass: production methods used to make Lambrusco
• VinePair, 2023: serving temperature and how it affects tannin
• Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News: Pinot Noir planting data in England
• Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2019: research on base wine techniques for red sparkling wine production
• Molecules (University of Adelaide), 2015: research classifying sparkling wine styles, including red, by chemical composition