Prosecco: The drink of hot hazy days

I've been working on this post for a short while now and have finally gotten round to writing - and on the hottest day of the year (in Toronto, at least)! Since reading a few weeks ago on Kitchen - Apartment Therapy about Zardetto prosecco, I became incredibly intrigued. What was this prosecco of which I read? I was also re-reading Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayles where she and her husband Ed consume seemingly vast quantities of the fun little bubbly. Coincidentally, the New York Times also ran a piece by Eric Asimov on the fun times testing proseccos (prosecci?) [membership required to read piece]. Talk about a strong portent to have some fun with bubbly!

Now, I have to admit that I approached this little investigation with some trepidation. While it would be easy to just pick up the recommended versions from both the Kitchen and the NYT, but it appears that the brands there just don't seem to be found in my local wine shop. So, I was a bit on my own. I picked up two bottles for sampling and then picked a third - and I can easily declare one the winner. Which one? ALL OF THEM. They're all great little wines, a lot of fun to drink without the sometimes overly dry character of proper champagne - not to mention that I find them a LOT tastier than the typical cava and a far cry less expensive than my tipple of choice, Veuve Cliquot. Out of the lot of them, I have to say that the Martini was my favourite for a few reasons:

1. It was FUN to drink! It made me smile on more than one occasion. I don't care that its a mass made drink - the fact that it was CA$12 makes me think that this is the kind of fun bubbly that I could bring along to pretty much any event and that most people are likely to enjoy.
2. The bottle packaging makes one think of bright summer days, with casual dining and a relaxing being top of mind.
3. Its soft, fruity, mildly sweet character (I don't think it has any actual sugar left in it, I'd call it nearly a .5. I'd say I got lemons and a hint of grass in tasting - and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned!

So, there you have it - my new summer drink of choice. Pick up a nice bottle, chill till icy cold, pop the cork and have a toast with me! To the hottest days of summer!