Floris Prosecco

Wine: Floris Prosecco.

Grape: Prosecco

Region: Veneto, Italy

Vintage: Nonvintage

Price: $6.99

In the glass: Floris Prosecco is a faint citrine-yellow color with a crisp, clear core showing tiny bubbles rising from the sides of the glass toward the top, also with medium viscosity, to the rim. When first poured, it foams up in the glass with white bubbles, which quickly dissipate.

On the nose: Once the fizz has settled down, the wine is full of bright apple fruit, pear sparkler and lemon drops with underlying hints of citrus rind and bright chalky minerality. It does not have the baked or yeasty character that some champagnes do, so it appears to be nice and fluffy.

On the palate: This wonderfully dry, spritzy wine is full of bright apple slices, apricot meat, pear core and white currant crush. The light lemony midpalate has nice vibrancy and balance without the acidity taking over or the obvious bitter almond flavor found in many, so it finishes light and airy with just a hint of minerals.

Odds and ends: Almost all prosecco wines have been made in the same style for the better part of 2,000 years. Prosecco is mainly made from a single white grape varietal, indigenous to the region and called prosecco, which means "very dry" in Latin. The main difference between champagne and prosecco involves the second fermentation. Champagne undergoes its second fermentation in the bottle, whereas prosecco undertakes its second fermentation in the tank, known as the charmat method. Floris Prosecco is a great buy at less than $7, and is a delicious and refreshing drink for the summer. It can be enjoyed chilled to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, served as an aperitif by the glass or with a bowl full of strawberries. Store it in the fridge and it can keep for years.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz's wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.