Italo Cescon Cabernet

Italo Cescon Cabernet is listed as a sparkling wine from Massachusetts, bottled under the Esplanda name. The label pairs a red grape name with a sparkling category, which is an uncommon combination. A sparkling wine built on Cabernet is usually a dry-to-off-dry red or deep rosé-leaning style, not a pale, citrusy brut. The listing gives no dosage, ABV, vintage or production method, so check the back label for those. Expect dark fruit as the core: blackcurrant, black cherry and perhaps a trace of bramble or green pepper, the herbaceous note Cabernet often carries. Carbonation tends to soften the grape's tannin and lift its acidity, so the wine should feel fresher and lighter than a still Cabernet. Oak is unlikely to play a large role in a sparkling red, and the finish should be short to medium, with bubbles carrying the fruit through. Serve it well chilled, around 8 to 10°C (46 to 50°F). That is cooler than a still red but not as cold as a pale brut. Do not decant, because pouring it through air only strips the mousse. A tulip-shaped sparkling glass or a standard white wine glass keeps the aroma and bubbles in better than a wide coupe. At the table, the dark fruit and gentle tannin suit charcuterie, salami, grilled sausages, pepperoni pizza and mushroom dishes. It also works with aged hard cheeses such as cheddar or Parmigiano. Its fizz cuts through fat and salt, so fried foods and burgers are reasonable matches too. Treat it as a drink-now bottle. Sparkling reds rarely reward long cellaring, and the fruit and fizz are at their best while the wine is young. Once opened, finish it the same day, or use a sparkling-wine stopper to hold the bubbles for a day.