Wine of the Week

“You want to go to Harry’s Bar for a Bellini?” I remembered asking my then-beau, horrified. “How touristy!” In the end, I went, very reluctantly, and ended up falling in love with the Venice bar’s famous aperitif of fragrant white peach juice and the Italian sparkling wine Prosecco. As a nearly penniless traveler then, I could only occasionally indulge in a Bellini at Harry’s Bar. So I looked for fragrant white peaches at the outdoor market along the Grand Canal and was soon making my own at the friend’s apartment where I was living. He didn’t have a juicer, so I just improvised by squeezing the ripe peaches with my hands. The recipe is basically half peach juice, half Prosecco.

Right now you’ll find white peaches at the farmers market. Chill the juice in the freezer until it’s very, very cold. Mix a bottle of chilled dry Prosecco with an equal amount of the chilled peach juice and pour it into Champagne flutes. When white peaches are out of season, use nectarines, melons or blood oranges.

As essential as the peaches is a good Prosecco. This is one--bone-dry, fruity and moderately fizzy. At about $9, it costs less than a single Bellini at Harry’s Bar, I can assure you.

About $9. Widely available at fine wine shops and retailers