Visiting Italy Through Its Wines by Roberto Viernes

It has been too long since I have visited Italy. But every time I have a glass of great Italian wine, I feel transported to that beautiful land of olive trees and vineyards. I recently transported through some great bottles of Italian wine that are worthy of more than mention.

Prosecco is quickly becoming the unofficial ambassador for Italian wine. It is amazing to me how quickly this style of wine has become popular in the world. At the same time, it is easy to see why. It is sparkling, relatively inexpensive, easy to drink and easy to say. In addition, there are plenty of good examples of this wine available. The wine is made sparkling by the Charmat method, which is less labor- and time-intensive than Champagne. Prosecco is the name of the wine and the grape that comes from the Veneto, where there are two major areas of production, Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. The Valdobbiadene is seen as the better of the two, owing to its higher elevation, giving the wines a better acidity and longer growing season resulting in more complex flavors in the wine. One of my favorites is the Bisol Prosecco di Valdobbiadene “Crede” ($16). This lovely frizzante is full of bright orange and apple fruit and flower aromas backed up by a very fruity palate, not sweet, but not too dry. It is neither acidic nor bitter, which some others can be. This wine is about fun and refreshment. I’m into that...