Moscato D’Asti: Crown Jewel of Dessert Wine
Moscato D’Asti is easily one of the best dessert wines anyone can enjoy. From its fresh, floral aroma to its delicate flavor of honey, peach and apricot – Moscato D’Asti is guaranteed to please. It is generally a fuller and more complex wine. Though not as crisp, Moscato D’Asti displays more finesse than its sibling Asti Spumante.
Both Moscato D’Asti and Asti Spumante come from the region of Asti which is located in the southeastern part of Italy’s northwestern region Piedmont – home of the Moscato Bianco grape. Moscato D’Asti was created by famed Milanese jeweler Giovan Battista Croce in the 16th century. Croce eventually left his career in jewelry to purchase and maintain his own vineyard. Croce created Moscato by removing the stems from the grapes before pressing, then vinifying the must separately from the skins. Filtering the wine several times resulted in a sweet, clean juice.
Moscato D’Asti is considered a sparkling dessert wine and is best paired with cookies, spicy Indian/Thai foods, chili, sorbet, ice cream and panettone. Moscato also goes great with Mascarpone cheese and is wonderful at both room temperature or chilled.
Recommended Brands: Risata, Duchessa Lia, Cantina Grabriele (Kosher), Stefano Farina
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