Ruffino Prosecco

Ruffino's Prosecco is a dry Italian sparkling wine listed at 11% alcohol by volume. That is on the lighter side for a sparkling wine, and it fits the style's reputation for easy, fresh drinking. Prosecco is made mostly from the Glera grape, and bottles like this usually show it in aromas of green apple, pear and white peach, with a floral hint of acacia or honeysuckle and sometimes a trace of citrus peel. Expect a light body and high, crisp acidity. The bubbles are soft and frothy rather than tight and persistent. Most Prosecco is made by a tank-based second fermentation, not the bottle-by-bottle method used for Champagne. That keeps the fruit bright and the yeasty, bready notes quiet, so there is no toasty oak or brioche character to look for. Tannin is effectively absent, since the grapes are pressed off their skins, and the finish is typically short, clean and fruit-led. Most bottles of this kind carry no vintage, which means the wine is blended for a consistent house profile. Serve it well chilled, about 6 to 8°C (43 to 46°F), which in a home fridge means roughly three hours or thirty minutes in an ice bucket. Colder than that mutes the fruit, and warmer makes the bubbles feel coarse and the wine flabby. Don't decant it, because that would only release the fizz. Pour into a tulip-shaped white wine glass or a flute. The tulip gives the aromas more room, while the flute holds the bubbles longer. A wide, shallow coupe lets the sparkle fade quickly. At the table, Prosecco works best with salty, savory and lightly fried foods, because its acidity and bubbles cut through them. Prosciutto, salumi, olives, Parmigiano, fried calamari and tempura vegetables all suit it. Soft cheeses and light seafood such as oysters or shrimp also work well. It is also a traditional aperitif and the usual base for a spritz or Bellini, where a dry, unoaked wine at this strength mixes cleanly. This is a bottle to drink soon after purchase, ideally within a year or two, while the fresh fruit and fizz are at their best. It is not made for cellaring, and extra time in the bottle generally flattens the aromatics rather than adding complexity. Once opened, a sparkling-wine stopper will keep it lively for a day at most.