Sparkling Wine  »  Italian Sparkling Wine

I distinctly remember a time in the not-too-distant past when sparkling wine was considered so infra dig that if it was served at all at parties the bottles would be wrapped in a cloth during the pouring process lest the identity of the hooch be discovered and the host and/or hostess cover themselves with shame.

More than anything, what has changed this view is the rise in popularity of Prosecco. At last, here was a wine that one didn’t feel obliged to compare to champagne, since it wasn’t even trying to ape France’s finest. Prosecco was happy to be exactly what it was: an extremely toothsome party fizz of the easy-to-drink sort.

And there has been a real renaissance elsewhere, with high-end sparklers narrowing the gap in terms of both style and quality with the better champagnes. English sparkling wines are, no doubt, causing a few creased Gallic foreheads; the US offers plenty of reward to the champagne substitute hunter. And there are plenty of other sources.