Malvasia wines good for summer

One of my favorite wines to drink when the temperature is at its hottest is the refreshing Moscato style of wines from Piedmonte, Italy, such as Luccio Rose.

These "blush" wines have the perfect balance of sweetness, fizziness and light alcohol. They are made from Malvasia grapes, one of the oldest known grape varietals.

Ancient Romans used to love to drink this type of wine in the hot months, and stories abound from the great scribes of how the "sweet nectar of the Malvasia" so pleased the Patrician palates.

What makes this a good wine to drink in summer is its "beerlike" alcohol content of 5.5 percent.

In the glass, Luccio Rose is a fine, antique-rose color with lots of little bubbles. It has a clear, bright salmon-colored core going out into a beautiful hue of pink on the rim and very high viscosity because of the residual sugar in the wine.

On the nose, there are lovely notes of freshly crushed raspberries, cling peaches, lychee sorbet, apricot jam, white flowers, rose petals and sweet strawberry juice, with underlying hints of minerality and spritz.

Luccio Rose is not as fizzy as normal sparkling wine or Champagne, just lightly prickly on the palate. It has incredible concentration of sweet strawberry marmalade, watermelon juice, cotton candy, lychee syrup, jasmine extract and fizzy minerals. The bubbliness dissipates through the midpalate, which shows some degree of sweetness, with yet more cotton candy coming through, going into the superb finish that is not only long, but mild and pleasant with rose water and dragon fruit character.

Luccio Rose is a good choice for a summer party, especially at this price. But be careful when opening the heavy-set bottle, because its cork will fully expand once drawn out. Expect a slight "pop."

Serve it chilled to 42 degrees Fahrenheit, and drink it out of white wine glasses rather than flutes, to reveal the full range of this gorgeous Italian sparkler.

Wine: Luccio Rose NV

Grape: Malvasia

Region: Piedmonte, Italy

Vintage: Nonvintage

Price: $8.99

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.