Price: $13

Producer: Nino Franco

Origin: Veneto, Italy

Type of wine: Sparkling white wine made from the Prosecco grape

Try it with: Fine by itself. Works best with lighter fare; pizza margherita, bruschetta, Thai satays

Date Reviewed: Feb. 2004

Prosecco is the name of most dry Italian bubbly, and it is also the name of the grape used to make it. Franco’s Rustico is unique from many Prosecco wines in that it is quite subtle. This pale gold sparkler has small, slow bubbles, which are mighty persistent. It has soft aromas of cinnamon, clove, and pear with hints of tropical fruit. A sip of this wine brings the words, “fresh” and “young” to mind. Rustico is light-bodied, slightly crisp and relatively low in alcohol. A good change of pace from both Spanish Cava and traditional bubbly.