With the holiday season upon us, it is a great opportunity to celebrate with sparkling wine. Aside from Champagne, there are numerous options available to consumers.

Asti Spumante, a sweet sparkler from the Piedmont region in Italy, is a great wine to serve with dessert, salty cuisine or as an aperitif. Like most other sparkling wines, Asti is the product of a second fermentation, during which the CO2 is retained in the wine. However, since it is produced from the Moscato Bianco grape, a very aromatic variety, the wine is not kept in contact with the dead yeast cells (as is the case in Champagne and similarly-styled sparklers) in order to preserve the fresh fruit and floral aromas and flavors. At an average 7% abv, it is light and delicate, with a gentle froth on the palate.

A sister wine, Moscato d’Asti, is made with the same grapes, but has a higher sugar content, lower alcohol level and fewer atmospheres of pressure. This latter difference accounts for the use of a regular wine bottle.

As a DOCG wine (it was promoted to this status in 1993), as opposed to a DOC wine, Asti Spumante is carefully regulated by the consortium. The extra “G” stands for Garantita – guaranteed – with quality control monitored at all stages including chemical analyses of the must to verify that the proper grapes are being used, tasting evaluations to ensure that the wines meet quality standards and further checks once the wine has made its way into the market.

FREE TASTINGS
Now through December 5, consumers have the opportunity to receive a complimentary taste of Asti Spumante at participating restaurants throughout New York City. Visit the Alta Cucina Society’s website for the full listing.