Asti Spumanti
Italy and is very popular with wine drinkers. It's Italy's second most produced wine, with "clones" produced in California and other locations. It is a sweet-to-semi-sweet dessert wine. Some people prefer Asti to French Champagne because of its sweetness.
Asti is a "DOCG" wine, meaning it is regulated as to what grapes can be used in it, and what areas can create an Asti Spumanti. The DOCG rating system for Asti was set up in 1993. The Asti DOCG rating requires:
- D.O.C.G. STATUS: 1993
- GRAPE: Moscato bianco (white Moscato)
- MAXIMUM PRODUCED AMOUNT: 100 quintals grapes per hectare.
- COLOR: from straw yellow to pale golden yellow
- PERLAGE: fine and persistent
- BOUQUET: fragrant, of Moscato grapes
- TASTE: sweet, aromatic and chatacteristic
- LIMPIDITY: brilliant
- OVERALL MINIMUM ALCOHOL LEVEL: 11 degrees with minimum 4.5 degrees of reduced alcohol.
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Martini & Rossi, the leading producer of Asti Spumanti, cranks out 21 million bottles
annually of this fine alcohol. It was first named "Moscato Champagne", but by the
time it came over to the US (1930s) they changed the name.
Asti Spumanti is made from Muscat Canelli grapes. Asti is the town that actually supplies the grapes, while "Spuma" means "foam". It is a light yellow color, and is sweeter than typical French Champagne. |
Asti Spumanti goes very well with sweet desserts - a dish of strawberries, a sweet peach pie. It is the perfect summertime drink - light and sweet!
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