I'm not sure what it's like in the rest of the country, but here in Memphis it's hot. Summer came strong and early, and there are days when you can stand outside and watch the grass slowly brown and die. The thermometer has reached 38°C/100°F, and we've still got July and August ahead. At times like this it's nice to step back from heavier red wines and look to something lighter and colder.The NV Martini Prosecco Frizzante is a light sparkling wine from northern Italy in the Veneto. $15, 10.5% abv. This frizzante or lightly sparkling product has recently received DOC status. On the nose there is a touch of toast and lemon peel, just a little apple. A dash of lemony acidity on the palate, nice and fruity and just barely fizzy. Go ahead and serve this one nice and cold, and keep it in a bucket of ice on the table.
The packaging on this one is interesting, with a metal screwcap. You don't see that a lot with sparkling wines. There's the traditional mushroom Champagne cork, some places use bottlecaps, and there are weird plastic corks that show up on really cheap bottles. I love screwcaps on casual, everyday sorts of wines because they're so convenient, and here the pressure is low enough with this wine to make it a practical option.
I often recommend Prosecco as an inexpensive and delicious alternative for making Champagne cocktails like the French 75. I stand by that, but the cocktails will work better with the fizzier, more bubbly spumante style. By the time you add peach nectar, liqueurs, or other ingredients to this one you're not going to have much carbonation left.
Note: This wine was received as a sample.
6 comments:
Add a dash of seltzer to the wine and it truly is refreshing. I do the same with Vinho Verde, and that's at a much lower price.
Thomas,
For all the jokes abut wine spritzers, sometimes it's a fun way to use up leftover wine or have a light and refreshing drink with brunch.
Cheers,
Benito
[trying to think of a joke about wine spritzers]
Having just been drinking heavy Syrahs, Merlots, and Cabs in a very hot climate (though, without our brutal humidity), I can totally appreciate this angle.
-Sweaty wine dude
Joe,
Drinking a wine spritzer is like riding a scooter. Yeah it's fun, but you don't want your friends to see you do it. ;)
As for the reds, there are days when drinking anything that's room temperature is downright unpleasant, and your mind starts wandering toward making sangria with the leftovers.
Cheers,
Benito
Benito,
When you have a spare moment check out The Wine Country newsletter online, thought of you many times as we were putting this one together...loads and loads of cocktails!
Sam,
Glad to see the shout out for Ten-Fidy beer as well! If anyone wants to read the newsletter, here's the link to the 40 page PDF.
Cheers,
Benito
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