Prosecco — the Perfect Hot Weather Drink?

We spent much of Memorial Day weekend at the shore, marinating in salt air and sunshine. As if to commemorate the onset of summer, the temperature rose steadily over three days, from pleasantly cool to sledgehammer hot. We did the usual vacation things (read, kayaked, lazed) and ate the usual vacation food (cool salads, local seafood, bags of delicious salty junk). And we think we hit upon the perfect beverage for hot weather and vacations: Prosecco.

This Italian sparkling wine is lighter than Champagne, and lower in both price and alcohol content. This last quality may be the best: you can enjoy a few glasses of Prosecco without reaping the dreaded "Champagne head." Prosecco can range in flavor from dry to slightly sweet, so it's worth tasting a few bottles to find out what you like. Prosecco is generally too light to accompany a meal, but there's nothing better, in our opinion, for lazy summer porches and patios.

We drank a LaMarca Prosecco that cost slightly more than our customary benchmark, but you can find a decent bottle for less than $10 (check out the right side of the LaMarca page).