If you're on the hunt for Champagne alternatives, put Lessini Durello Riserva on your list. This long-aged, volcanically grown, indigenous sparker transcends its Italian heritage to become a world-class option truly worthy of its Champagne-alternative description.

If your eyes lit up at the “volcanically grown” description, I’m with you. Lessini Durello Riserva is one of the very few sparkling wines in the world grown in volcanic soils. Indeed, the Lessini Durello appellation centers in the Ronca' commune of Veneto, at the base of Monte Calvarina, one of the most recent and evident volcanic cones in the region. (Ronca'-Monte Calvarina has also become a Soave UGA.)

Another intriguing aspect of this wine is its indigenous local variety, Durella, whose high acid and thick skins are perfectly suited to sparkling production. Durella might have disappeared altogether were it not for local producers visiting Champagne in the 1980s, when the ah ha moment struck. Because it was an auchtonomous varietal perfectly suited to sparkling—and grown exclusively in the volcanic-rich soils of Lessini, Lessini Durello has clear identity, setting it apart from Alta Langhe, Franciacourta, Trentadoc which focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, or Etna which allows so many varieties that defy clear category identity.

Requiring a minimum of 36 months sur lie, the Lessini Durello Riserva appellation also sets a high bar for quality, standards which are higher than most of Italy's Metodo Classico regions, and compare to vintage Champagne.

Which is why I'm excited to introduce Fattori Lessini Durello 36 Metodo Classico '17. It's one of the best representations of this budding category, perhaps the first to land in top restaurants in London and Tokyo.

Fattori starts the vinification with whole cluster press. Primary fermentation occurs in steel and a small part in wood. Re-fermentation in the bottle starts in May after the harvest, and ages sur lie for at least for 36 months. Remuage by hand on pupitre followed by 6 months resting in the bottle after degorgement.

All these extra flurishes give the wine texture, natural acidity and tension, and an exceptionally long finish.

With its volcanic soils, long aging, and distinctive character, Fattori Lessini Durello Riserva 36 Mesi '17 stacks up well against other respected Methodo Classico options from Italy.

Indeed, I think you'll find Fattori Lessini Durello Riserva 36 Mesi 2017 one of the very best Champagne alternatives available, particularly for its $35 SRP.

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