Vacation. Indulgence. Sparkling wine with lunch. But most restaurants don’t have a wide array of sparklers; often just one or two. And so it was at this venue, where one of the three – the other two were a “Champers” and a Cava (sparkling from Spain) – was a nonvintage (i.e., composed of grapes from more than one vintage; usually two or three) Prosecco, from the Venice area of Italy. Although marked as “dry” (“brut,” which merely means not sweet), the wine has a delightfully subtler sweetness to it, picked up by two reviewers in addition to yours truly. From Wine Enthusiast: “Tannic and lean with a nearly transparent color and lively perlage, this non-DOC Prosecco offers candy-like aromas of butterscotch and lemon soda. There's an interesting touch of crushed white peppercorn in there as well and this well-priced wine would make a perfect match to appetizers and finger foods.” Wine & Spirits got it right, too, giving the wine a nice 91 points: “The Prosecco game is an edgy, fresh peach and peppercorn-scented sparkler. It’s bright with the greenness of chlorophyll and a peppery burst in the end. Delicious with prosciutto.” If you have a celebration coming up – like lunch! – this is a bottle to try. $8.99.
