Well, it’s another typical August day in Washington: hot and humid — like living in the mouth of a dog … except without the doggie breath. When it gets this sticky outside, it would be nice to be have a wine you can rely on to help you cool down on the inside. Fortunately, Washingtonians can take a break from the heat with a wine that has been helping wine-savvy Italians cool down for decades: Prosecco.

Prosecco isn’t just a wine, it’s also a grape varietal and a place. In short, it is a white wine — usually sparkling — made from the Prosecco grape which is grown in and around the village of Prosecco in the Veneto region of Italy, just a short one-hour drive north of Venice. The area is beautiful, with picturesque hillsides blanketed with vineyards and pristine rural vistas.