Prosecco Superiore is ideal for spring and summer

Spring is time to celebrate Prosecco Superiore in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene in Italy

Story and photo gallery by Dwight Casimere

Dwight Casimere with Consorzio Director Giancarlo Vettorello

The steep hillside vineyards of Conegliano

With Silvia Baratta (c), public relations for the Consorzio and a fellow international journalist

Vineyards of Glera grapes, from which Prosecco Superiore is made

Sunrise over the hillside vineyards of Conegliano

CONEGLIANO, Italy--The hills are alive with vibrant colors and the intense aromas of blossoming flowers. The steep hillside vineyards, with their bright-green tones and the sinuous valleys outlined by rows of vines are the birthplace of one of the most popular sparkling wines in Italy, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore.  The name may be hard to remember, but the distinctive flavor, aroma and creamy effervescence of the wine is hard to forget. Standing on a terrace overlooking the steep hillside vineyards and sipping a glass of the tantalizing bubbly, its hard to imagine that prosecco is only now coming into its own, yet the territory from which it comes is extremely old and the sparkling wine that is now gaining so much traction in the among consumers,  is the result of centuries of human endeavor.