Crossword Genius

Way to open excellent sparkling wine (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

asti

'sparkling wine' is the definition.
(Asti is a type of sparkling wine)

'way to open excellent' is the wordplay.
'way' becomes 'st' (abbreviation for street).
'to open' indicates putting letters inside (some letters open a gap in others).
'excellent' becomes 'ai' (resembles 'A1', old-fashioned term for excellent).
'st' going into 'ai' is 'ASTI'.

(Other definitions for asti that I've seen before include "Italian town, famous for its wine" , "Alcohol" , "It's a (anag) - wine" , "Italian product" , "Piedmont wine city, SE of Turin" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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