With a new Randall coming to The Hill… Wait, you have heard about the new 13,000 sqft. Randall’s store coming to The Hill at Southwest and Kingshighway, right? If not, check out the story here. Anyway, in honor of our opening a new store in America’s favorite St. Louis-Italian neighborhood, it seems only appropriate to raise a glass of our very own Breganze Prosecco.

Why prosecco? Well to begin with, it’s Italian. This one in particular hails from Breganze, a beautiful little town in Veneto, in the Northeast of Italy. (Side note: I’m not aware of any scientific evidence that wine from pretty places tastes better, but my own experience suggests it doesn’t hurt.) Prosecco is also very stylish at the moment. According to the Market Watch Impact Database, an industry source that tracks these sorts of things, Prosecco now accounts for over half of all sparkling wine imported into the U.S! That’s right, Americans are drinking more of the Italian sparkler than Champagne and Cava combined. So if you don’t already have a bottle or three of Prosecco in the fridge, it might be time to get with the program.

Finally, much like Randall’s which has just been listed in Beverage Dynanmic’s Top 100 Retailers in America for a second straight year, the Breganze Prosecco is award-winning. Most recently, it picked up 92 points in the Ultimate Wine Challenge. You’ll see why when you taste it. There’s more depth and richness here than you’ll find in more pedestrian offerings like La Marca or Mionetto. And because we import it directly, it’s a better value as well. Like some of the older folks on The Hill, it’s come to St. Louis directly from Italy.

And if you prefer a little more backbone in your fizzy drinks, the Breganze is a perfect match for any Prosecco cocktail. Such as…

The Broken Negroni
Properly called a Negroni Sbagliato if you’re fancy, this drink includes Campari and sweet vermouth, but substitutes prosecco for the traditional gin component. The result is lighter and easier than a proper negroni, but still more robust and flavorful than something like an Aperol Spritz. The proportions here are perfect to serve over the rocks. If you opt instead for champagne flutes, try dialing back the Campari and vermouth in favor of more prosecco.

1oz Campari
1oz Italian Sweet Vermouth
1oz Breganze Prosecco

Directions: Fill a rocks glass with ice, add Campari and Vermouth, top with prosecco and garnish (optionally) with orange or lemon. Enjoy, repeat.

However you intend to enjoy it, you should definitely grab a few bottles of the Breganze Prosecco today. After all, there’s going to be a new Randall’s store. And if that’s not worth celebrating, I have no idea what would be. Cin cin!