First let me start off by saying I am not a wine snob. I'm always looking out for great wine value wherever I can find it.

Having said that, one thing that drives me crazy is when I'm serving French Champagne at a party and someone asks me for some OJ to put in it. UGGH! Why would you spend the money on French Champagne and then mask all of its quality and character? I'm not advocating you purchase the cheapest sparkling wine on the market, a sure way to have a headache in the morning. But there are a number of good alternatives to real Champagne.

One of my favorite sparkling wines to serve at parties is Italian prosecco. Prosecco is a white grape variety native to the Veneto region of northeast Italy. As a sparkling wine it is light, festive and easy on the wallet.

The very best prosecco comes from a specific part of the Veneto region. As of August 1, 2009, the Italian government has recognized the wine produced between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene to be of superior quality. Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene has been awarded DOCG status. This is Italy's highest designation reserved for its best wines. Look for Collalto Prosecco DOCG when shopping for a high quality prosecco.

Back to mixing juice into your sparking wine for a moment. Not only is it acceptable to do this with prosecco, but the famous Bellini cocktail uses prosecco as its base. The Bellini was invented by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy. The recipe is simply 2 parts prosecco to one part peach puree. You can even substitute a peach liqueur if you don't have any peaches on hand.

Look at www.drinkupcocktails.com/champagne-sparking/prosecco-docg-coctails.php for more cocktails using prosecco this holiday season.

Paul Quaglini, Wine Supervisor, Southeast Florida