There is a tendency, easily explained, to call all wine with bubbles Champagne. The Champenoise may grouse about it, but deep down they know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Although most sparkling wine producers would deny they are imitating Champagne, a significant number do their best to make you think "Champagne" when you purchase or consume their wine. By and large they use the same grapes (chardonnay and pinot noir) and create the bubbles by inducing a second fermentation in the bottle, a process that is aptly called "methode champenoise."

Of course, none of this is truly Champagne. For one thing, Champagne can be made only within the legal boundaries of the Champagne region of France, a district that's about an hour's drive to the northeast of Paris. Of equal importance, these bubblies, no matter how lovely and delicious, hardly taste like Champagne.

The terroir of the region, particularly the chalky soil, leaves a distinct footprint on the flavor, aroma and texture of Champagne. Still, the idea persists that all bubbly is Champagne and it is not at all unusual for someone to offer a glass of "Champagne" and pour Mumm Napa Valley.

So it is refreshing to discover an entire category of sparkling wine that is made without the pretense of Champagne. Producers of prosecco, an increasingly popular sparkling wine from northern Italy, are proud to make a bubbly that is studiously not Champagne.

The fundamentals are basic. The grape they use is prosecco - no chardonnay, no pinot - and the process is called metodo Italiano, or Charmat, which was invented about 80 years ago. Prosecco can be planted anywhere in the world and called prosecco, even in a table wine, but the common usage of the term prosecco refers to the sparkling wine made in the Veneto, from vineyards planted on the steep hillsides around the villages of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, about equidistant between Venice and Verona.

Hence, most prosecco labels will proclaim Prosecco di Valdobbiadene or Prosecco di Conegliano. Prosecco is the national bubbly of Italy and consumed throughout the year, primarily as an aperitif or with Mediterranean tapas. A number of other bubbly styles can be found in Italy (primarily the sweet Asti Spumante of Piedmont and the Champagne-like sparklers of Franciacorta) but the most common sparkling wine served from the foothills of the Alps to the tip of the Italian boot is prosecco.

Consumers in the United States have only recently embraced prosecco, driven I suspect by the value factor. Prosecco is considerably less expensive than even the most modestly priced non-vintage Champagnes, particularly since Champagne prices began to spiral upward a few years back.

I might add there are other good reasons to choose a bottle of prosecco over a bottle of Champagne or a New World bubbly. The most obvious is the fruitiness of prosecco. The grapes are picked a bit riper than grapes targeted for the methode champenoise process, and thus more resemble a table wine with bubbles, with softer acidity and creamier texture. Thus prosecco is much easier to sip as a cocktail, and generally won't deliver the acid burn that sometimes accompanies more than one or two glasses of Champagne, especially young Champagne.

Prosecco also delivers a greater impression of sweetness than sparklers made in the methode champenoise style, largely because the acids are lower but also because producers shoot for the upper range of sugar levels in both their brut and extra dry wines. All the better with cured hams, sausages and savory fried tapas.

While almost all fine-wine merchants and most big-box stores that sell wine now stock prosecco, there is seldom a huge selection to choose from, as might be the case with Champagne or domestic bubbly.

The cost is such, however, that exploring by trial and error can be an effective way to find the prosecco you like. I have a few personal favorites, including the very classy wines of Franco Adami. Adami is the president of the Prosecco Consorzio and one of the most passionate and attentive winemakers of the region. His single-vineyard 2007 Vigneto Giardino ($23) is the epitome of fine prosecco.

Bisol is certainly in the same league as Adami. The 2007 Bisol Crede Brut ($18) has the structure and finesse to accompany food, but is light enough and creamy enough to quaff on a warm summer day. And I've been taken by some of the wines of Bellenda, a relatively new producer that has been around only since 1986. Bellenda produces prosecco in the metodo Italiano style, but also plays around with prosecco made like Champagne, which is quite nice. Bellenda also has a sister winery, Alice, that makes more traditional prosecco in a decidedly floral and feminine style.

And I recently popped the cork of a Maschio dei Cavalieri Prosecco di Valdobbiadene ($19) for the first time. This is a wonderfully round, inviting and delicious prosecco that also has the structure and richness to tackle savory dishes.

Of course, there are many more excellent proseccos just waiting to be discovered. The exploration should be fun. Just remember that all that glitters is not gold; and all wines that sparkle are not Champagne!

BEST BUY

Truchard 2006 Roussanne, Carneros ($20) - Of all the Rhone whites planted on California soil, it's quite possible that Roussanne has the greatest potential. Truchard's exhibits a lovely nose of honeysuckle and pear, with a gentle hint of spice as a back note. The mouth is viscous and oily, with good length. The impression of heat on the back end will be off-putting to some, but is typical of the French versions because many of the winemakers of the Rhone believe slightly elevated alcohols give the wine structure. Rating: 89.

TASTING NOTES

Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value.

Bennett Lane 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($55) - Bennett Lane is a relatively recent addition to the landscape around the village of Calistoga. Its strongest suit is pure, bold, mouth-filling Napa Valley cabernet, and there is no finer example of that than the 2005 vintage. It delivers a gorgeous nose of ripe cassis, with a hint of cedar and vanillin. The texture is slightly grippy in the most positive sense, and there is tremendous fruit lift through the mid-palate. This is a darkly fruited cabernet of uncommon depth, with exceptional palate length and persistence of flavor. And it's supple enough to enjoy tonight, though this is one Napa cabernet I wouldn't hesitate to lay down for several years. Rating: 93.

Chappellet 2005 "Donn Chappellet" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($46) - I confess I've always had a fondness for the cabernet sauvignon from Chappellet, though it is hardly the flashiest red in the valley when young. This is a more subdued, earthy Napa cabernet than most, reminding me of my earliest experiences tasting Bordeaux of the Graves district. These wines are of a kind, sleek and together and never fully expressing their underlying complexity and depth until the years — 10, 12, 15 — have passed. You can be patient with this superb '05 Donn Chappellet signature cabernet, which expresses itself with a rich cassis and blackberry nose, something that just cries out cabernet. It's full-bodied and slightly sweet (or I no doubt would have inched the score higher), with well-measured wood notes and a hint of spice. If you should open this wine in its youth, do yourself a favor and serve it with a thick, juicy steak. Rating: 90.

Craggy Range 2007 Kidnappers Vineyard Chardonnay, New Zealand ($24) - Hawkes Bay is one of the handful of New Zealand terroirs that are ideal for chardonnay. There is enough heat to give the chardonnays of the region richness and body, yet it's cool enough to preserve the freshness and acidity the Kiwis are famous for. This beauty from Craggy Range's Kidnappers Vineyard offers up a gorgeous lemon custard nose, with hints of fresh apple and pear. It shows a firm, tight structure at this time and has an ample lacing of mouth-watering acidity with a dollop of earthy minerality. It should evolve dramatically after another year or two in the bottle. Rating: 90.

Craggy Range 2005 Te Kahu, New Zealand ($27) - For all intents and purposes, this is a merlot although it could easily fit under the Bordeaux-blend umbrella. It shows an impressive inky color and intense notes of plum and blackberry on the nose, with a strong overlay of wood. The density of fruit can no doubt handle the oak, and the promise of a rewarding evolution over the next couple of years is there. There are hints of minerals and earth as a back note, and the tannins are firm but nicely integrated. Don't rush to enjoy this wine — it desperately needs another year in bottle. But know that it is rare to find such an age worthy red at this price. Rating: 88.

To find out more about Robert Whitley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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