Kicking off the New Year with Riondo Proseco

When new Year's rolls around you have to toast it in with something bubbly, and for Pris and I that usually means Proseco, Cava, or some other semi-sweet sparkling white.  The main reason for this is that I cannot drink champagne.  I like champagne well enough, and have developed a better appreciation of it over the years, but I cannot drink it safely.  For whatever reason, champagne gets right to me and causes almost instantaneous inebriation.  For this reason we've moved to the other sparkling wines that don't have quite this effect on me.

I picked up the Riondo Proseco Spago Nero at H.E.B. while grabbing a few last minute items the day before New Years Eve.  I was looking for Cava actually to go with the garlic shrimp, but as expected they didn't carry it at the supermarket.  Instead I grabbed a couple bottles of Proseco to both cook with, and ring in the New Year.

The Riondo Proseco Spago Nero boasts that its rated 90 points by Robert Parker - Wine Advocate, and its definitely a good sparkling wine.  Light, fruity, and incredibly refreshing.  Soft fruits hit the nose first followed by strong citrus on the palate.  Crisp effervescent citrus is both flavorful and refreshing.  This wine finishes quickly with a crisp refreshing finality that leaves almost no aftertaste.

This isn't just a good wine to celebrate with, but a good wine to drink .  With an alcohol content of 10.5% its far easier to imbibe more of this Proseco than your standard red wine.  Granted its citrusy and refreshing character seem better suited to warm spring or summer afternoons, but here in the Valley we can get those year round.

The Riondo Proseco Spago Nero was purchased at H.E.B. on Ruben Torres and Paredes Line here in Brownsville.  I understand they're carrying at most H.E.B.'s and Central Markets here in Texas.  At $11 a bottle this a great sparkling wine to stock up on.  For more information on Riondo's wines you can visit: http://riondousa.com/