A
frequent clue in the Times crossword puzzle
is "Italian wine region." 4 letters. A better clue would
be "region producing unbelievably wretched, sweet
sparkling wine poured at weddings but fortunately rarely
swallowed." Same four letters. Asti. As in Spumante,
which is Italian for sparkling. Asti still appears on lists
in Italian restaurants but there is actually an Italian
sparkling wine that is inexpensive, youthful, crisp
and clean. It ain't champagne but we were
surprised at the quality over price ratio. It is
called Prosecco. Double the letters and
more than twice the quality.
Prosecco is produced in the
Veneto region in Italy's
North East. The region
has now received the
DOCG, Italy's most
desirable wine
HYLAND
