by Shaun Layton | At the end of a sun-drenched, five hour hike up, over, and around countless Tuscany hills, it’s disheartening to learn that the local lunch hour is in session for much of the afternoon. Nearly everything is shut, so thirst-quenching aperitivos are nowhere to be found. We thought our temporary home away from home (a beautiful olive farm) was the only answer until we stumbled across Rosano Bottega, the coolest shop in the quaint medieval village of Rosano. It was fully stocked with everything from fresh and creamy local mozzarella, perfectly pickled artichokes, and prosciutto carved in plain sight to the best Pecorino I’ve ever had by miles. And don’t get me started on the tomatoes! At this point in our holiday, we’d had our fair share of the local Chianti (and would go on to have much more), but something light and bubbly was called for on this particularly day. Weighing in at a whopping 9 euros, this verdicchio-based sparkling wine from Colonnara tastes just like those long Tuscan walks — fragrant with jasmine and yeast on the bouquet with a dry, stone fruit finish. Pecorino and prosciutto never had a better friend.

EVERY AWESOME THING WE DRANK