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This typical Piedmont wine was produced in the Monferrato and Langhe as early as 1200. Today it is made in the provinces of Alessandria, Asti and Cuneo exclusively from white Moscato grapes.
The name Asti without other specification or including the designation spumante ("Asti" or "Asti Spumante") is only applied to spumante wine. Asti preceded by Moscato, i.e. "Moscato d’Asti", is only applied to the white non-spumante wine "Asti" and "Moscato d’Asti" which is a delightful dessert wine ideal with cakes and pastries. Locally, Moscato is used to make Zabaglione instead of the more common marsala.
Moscato d'Asti
- Vineyard or cru: white Moscato grapes
- Clarity: brilliant
- Color: straw yellow of varying intensity
- Bouquet: distinctive, fragrant
- Flavor: sweet, aromatic, distinctive, occasionally lively or semi-sparkling
- Minimum total alcohol by volume: 11% with alcohol content from 4.5% to 6.5%.
"Asti" or "Asti Spumante"
- Vineyard or cru: white Moscato grapes
- Perlage: delicate, persistent
- Clarity: brilliant
- Color: varies from straw yellow to pale golden yellow
- Bouquet: distinctive, clear and delicate
- Flavor: aromatic, distinctive, delicately sweet, balanced
- Minimum total alcohol by volume: 12% with alcohol content from 7% to 9.5% vol.
Moscato goes well with baked cakes and soft, light sweet yeast breads, particularly baked goods with fruit. It is also nice with typical Piedmont cream-rich puddings like zabaglione and panna cotta (literally ‘cooked cream’, a crème caramel-like pudding made with fresh cream), panettone milanese (Italian Christmas cake made with eggs, dried fruit and butter) and pandoro from Verona (a star-shaped Christmas cake made with eggs and butter and then sprinkled with icing sugar).
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