Spumante Ribolla Gialla

Spumante Ribolla Gialla is a Massachusetts sparkling wine made under the Esplanda label. It takes its name from Ribolla Gialla, a white grape best known from the hills of northeastern Italy. The producer doesn't give a dosage, a production method, a vintage or an ABV here, so the sweetness level and bubble style are not confirmed. "Spumante" in Italian practice just means sparkling, and it can run from bone dry to lightly sweet. Check the bottle's label for the sweetness designation before you plan a menu around it. Ribolla Gialla is a high-acid, relatively neutral-skinned white grape, and sparkling versions of it usually show crisp lemon and green apple, a touch of white flower, and a mineral or lightly saline edge. Expect a light to medium body, a clean and brisk texture with little or no oak influence, and a finish that is dry and refreshing rather than creamy. Because the grape carries natural acidity, a wine like this tends to taste lively and precise instead of rich, which makes it useful at the start of a meal. Those same qualities guide the pairings. Salty, fried and briny foods suit it best: oysters, fried calamari, tempura vegetables, salt cod fritters, and New England clam or seafood dishes all work. Soft fresh cheeses, prosciutto, marinated artichokes and simple antipasti platters are good matches too. If the bottle turns out to carry a touch of sweetness, lean toward spicy takeout dishes or fruit-based appetizers, where a little residual sugar helps. Serve it well chilled, around 40 to 45°F, which in practice means a few hours in the refrigerator or about 30 minutes in an ice bucket. Do not decant. Pouring gently into the glass is enough, and decanting would only flatten the bubbles. A tulip-shaped white wine glass or a universal sparkling flute works well, and the tulip shape gives the delicate aromas somewhat more room than a narrow flute does. Styles like this are made to be drunk young and fresh, so treat it as a drink-now bottle rather than something to cellar. Keep it cold and upright, and open it within a year or so of purchase.