30 Second Wine AdvisorPrint Friendly Format: Light and fresh

This article was published in The 30 Second Wine Advisor on Monday, Aug. 11, 2008 and can be found at http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/tswa20080811.php.

Light and fresh

Back in April, I recommended a sparkling pink Prosecco, a fun and frothy Italian sparkling wine, as an ideal quaff to greet the season.

Now that the dog days of August are here, I've come to realize that this offbeat rose-colored sparkler makes an even better solution for those steamy evenings when you need a salad for dinner because even with air-conditioning, you really don't want to see a flame on top of the stove.

Like the Cantine Riondo "Pink" Prosecco Raboso featured on April 11, today's featured wine - De Faveri Spumante Rosé Extra Dry - adds just a 2 percent splash of red Raboso grapes to add a zippy tang and pretty salmon pink color to the wine. Although it's made by De Faveri, a well-regarded Prosecco producer, this label bears no regional designation - not even "Italy" - likely the result of an unauthorized mix of out-of-the region vineyard sources.

Never mind that ... the wine clearly says Prosecco, and the shot of red juice confers not only a pleasing color but, perhaps, a refreshing shot of light bitterness in the finish. Relatively quaffable at 11 percent alcohol, its gentle sweetness (16 grams per liter, for the technically inclined) is nicely balanced by crisp acidity (5,80 gr/l) to yield a frothy, palate-cleansing wine that's in no way cloying. You'll find my tasting notes below.

De Faveri Spumante Rosé Extra Dry ($15.99)

De Faveri

It's a beautiful, transparent salmon pink with a lasting bubble stream. Good, delicate red-berry aromas; frothy and tart, with sufficient acidity to cloak delicate residual sugar, and a distinct, pleasant touch of bitterness in the finish. A light 11 percent alcohol makes it particularly inviting as an aperitif that won't knock you back on your heels. U.S. importer: Specialty Wine Co., Sandusky, Ohio. (July 29, 2008)

FOOD MATCH: Fine as an aperitif, delicious with cool summer dinner salads, and - like other frothy, crisp and barely sweet wines - surprisingly good with spicy cuisine, such as my choice, Cajun-style shrimp and chicken gumbo.

VALUE: Although you can find Prosecco for less, the enjoyable flavors and crisp freshness of this fruity sparkler left me with no buyer's remorse over this mid-teens price.

WHEN TO DRINK: Freshness is a virtue, and since the wine is non-vintage, it's best to look for it at trusted merchants with good turnover.

WEB LINK:
Click the flag icon of your preference on the De Faveri Website for English, Italian, German, French or Spanish. You'll find an English-language fact sheet on this sparkling rosé here:
http://www.defaverispumanti.it/eng/spumante_rose.php

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Hits on De Faveri Rosé are limited on Wine-Searcher.com, but vendors listed for the firm's other wines may have access to this pink sparkler:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/
find/Faveri/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP

The U.S. importer, Specialty Wine Co. of Sandusky, Ohio, may also be able to provide information about regional distributors.
http://www.specialtywineco.com/welcome.html

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http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/
2008/08/light_and_fresh-print.html

This week on WineLoversPage.com

• Rogov's Ramblings: Travels and Tastings at Vinoble
Jerez de la Frontera recently hosted the annual Vinoble wine fair, and Tel Aviv-based critic Daniel Rogov - who we're proud to welcome as our latest WineLoversPage.com contributor - was there and files this report.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/rogov/vinoble08.phtml

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Last Week's Wine Advisor Index

The Wine Advisor's daily edition is usually distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (and, for those who subscribe, the FoodLetter on Thursdays). Here's the index to last week's columns. Please note that for a summer break, we've put the FoodLetter on a short-term vacation and are skipping some (but not all) Friday editions.

• Another Aussie blend (Aug. 6, 2008)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/tswa20080806.php

• Wine Focus - The styles of Zin (Aug. 4, 2008)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/tswa20080804.php

• Complete 30 Second Wine Advisor archive:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/archives.php

• Wine Advisor Foodletter archive:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/food/archives.php