Raise a Glass for a Holiday Brindisi
An Asti Spumante vineyard in Asti. (photo via wikimedia)
Looking for an Italian way to toast the holiday season? Instead of picking up some Champagne, try out the other bottles of bubbly, Asti Spumante and Prosecco, and raise a glass to make a brindisi.
Asti Spumante, a white sparkling wine from the town of Asti in the Piedmont region, is made from the Moscato Bianco grape. Unlike other wines, which get better with age, this sweet wine tastes better the younger it is. Protected by the Italian government, Asti Spumante is typically served chilled at dessert time.
Italy’s other sparkling wine, Prosecco, is produced in the Veneto region. Served both on its own and in cocktails such as Venice’s famous Bellini, Prosecco should be consumed within two years of its bottling date because it does not ferment, growing stale over time. Made from the Glera grape variety, Prosecco is rated based on sweetness—either brut, extra brut, or dry.
While both Prosecco and Asti Spumante are low in alcohol, bottles of each are produced in the millions. So, grab yourself one—or two!—this holiday season to get a real taste of an Italian brindisi.
Test your mixology skills with a bellini, a cocktail invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice:
Ingredients
4 white peaches (use yellow peaches if white aren’t available)
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 bottle of chilled Prosecco (or brut Asti Spumante)
Directions
Peel peaches and puree them in a food processor.
Puree raspberries.
Fill 4 tall champagne flutes 1/3 of the way with peach puree.
Add 3 drops of raspberry puree.
Top with Prosecco.
