One of the qualities I most admire in my mother is her ingenuity. This is, after all, the lady who, after running over my father’s golf clubs in her Saab, popped them into the gas oven in the hope that they would soften sufficiently for her to straighten them. No wonder my father enjoys the odd nip of whisky.

Still, I was slightly surprised to wake up to a message on my answering service the other morning asking about Martini Asti. “Is it like Champagne Sarah . . . does it taste like Martini?” I was primarily curious because Mum is generally well stocked with Champagne and it seemed strange that she was not serving that to her lunch guests.

As it transpired, the Champagne had been put on the back step to chill but the Scottish deep freeze had been so efficient that the bottles had become immovably frozen to the back step. Hence, plan B.

Turin-based Martini & Rossi may be most famous for their vermouths but this company — only three years shy of its 150th birthday — has documentation of its sparkling wine-making history going back to the 19th century.

The firm does not own a single vineyard and the Moscato grapes that are used in the wine are all sourced from contracted growers — of which there are, quite literally, hundreds.

In answer to Mum’s first question, Martini Asti has barely anything in common with Champagne at all, apart from the fizz. It is made from entirely different grapes and is lightly-sweet in style. It also registers a very modest seven per cent alcohol. Wine snobs should probably turn away now because, the truth is, I rather like it; it is a good fun, easy-to-drink aperitif that does not expect to be taken too seriously. Oddbins (www.oddbins.com) sell it for £8.49 a bottle.

The name Martini is more commonly associated with the herb-flavoured, fortified wine known as vermouth. I remember dry vermouth featuring large on the aperitif trolley of the French families I lived with many years ago. Back then I took a strong dislike to the bitter-flavoured drink and was even less fond of the sweeter, red version.

Indeed, it took about 15 years for me to get over my strong resistance to vermouth and it was a sip of a sample from Chambéry that thawed my resistance.

The town of Chambéry is in the Savoie in the Alps and the fortified wines made here have a reputation for being more delicate than their Italian counterparts.

Dolin is an independent company making a rather lovely Vermouth de Chambéry which contains between 70 and 80 per cent of wine and for which real plants are macerated, in preference to bought-in, pre-prepared flavourings.

They will not tell anyone the exact recipe but we are told that it is the herbs and plants found in the Alps that give this Vermouth its flavour. I like it served in small quantities with tonic (£6.64 from waitrosewine.com).

So Dad, if the whisky gets too expensive, you might like to consider stocking up with a bottle or two of Chambéry.

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