FIZZ FORWARD: PROSECCO IS HOT FOR GOOD REASON

The most popular sparkling wine everywhere at the moment is Prosecco, the Veneto bubbly.

It’s available between about $18 and $25. And why not? It’s bubbly, an excellent drink that pairs with everything and — due to the association with Champagne via the bubbles — is mildly celebratory. I am heartened, however, to see younger drinkers, particularly young women, having a glass now and then, just because. Prosecco makes a great appetizer, and a lovely patio drink.

What most people don’t pay attention to is the sweetness level. Bubbly (including Champagne) — unlike other wine — actually declares on the label how sweet it is. What’s more, some of the sweeter wines avoided by wine snobs can be really excellent, especially sitting on the deck on a hot summer day.

Brut is the level the wine “connoisseur” supposedly likes, but there is Extra Dry, Dry, DemiSec, Sec and Doux, all with a bit more sugar than Brut. Before you get yourself stuck into a brut-ish rut, you owe it to yourself to at least try other levels of sweetness.

I generally stick with Santa Margherita Brut, a DOCG wine from the foothills near Venice. This is a bone dry wine, and likely less fun for many drinkers without my affection for the clean palate such a flavour profile affords. It’s a slightly floral, citrus wine with nice fruity flavours and a very nice angular palate.

Most casual drinkers are actually happier with a bit more sugar content than I am. Sugar adds heft to the wine, making it a bit thicker and, of course, the finish is smoother. Extra Dry wine has about double the sugar content of Santa Margherita. I’m always surprised how few people apparently notice that extra sugar even in side-by side-tastings, although they usually end up picking the Extra Dry as their fave.

The wine that provoked this column is Bolla Extra Dry. The colour is very light, almost transparent. The palate is fruity, with a bit of dried apricot. The palate is rounder than Santa Margherita and the finish smoother and slightly sweet. If I was to introduce someone to Prosecco, I’d likely pick this wine for them. But if you have trouble with sparkling wines, you may want to move further up the sweetness ladder into Dry or Demi-sec wines.

If you have some friends who really have a hard time leaving with drier wines, you need to introduce them to Asti. Lately, this wine is in the shade, as wine drinkers everywhere think they need to avoid sweet. This isn’t true. If you want a nice wine for dessert or know that dinner is a while away, you should try an Asti again. They are hugely more sophisticated now than they were even 10 years ago.

FontanaFredda, the vintner from the Piemonte, way across the boot of Italy on the other side nearer France, makes a surprisingly charming wine for not a lot of money. Slightly musky aromas, with a bit of herbs and fruit lead you into a palate that is fruity, acidic enough for me, and tremendously charming. Sweet? Yes. Drinkable for wine snobs and everyone else? Check.

If you want to mellow out in the afternoon, try a bottle of this one. This is probably the wine that should be served at most showers and wedding celebrations as it is drinkable by everyone, and comes in a large format bottle to save a couple of bucks.