🍷 Moscato d'Asti
A sweet, lightly sparkling Muscat wine from Piedmont, very light.
Moscato d'Asti is a sweet, lightly sparkling wine from Piedmont in northern Italy. It is made from Muscat Blanc, called Moscato Bianco here. The wine is a protected DOCG produced in the provinces of Asti, Cuneo and Alessandria.
Its key feature is low alcohol, usually about 5–5.5%. Fermentation takes place in sealed tanks and is stopped early by chilling. So the wine keeps a lot of natural grape sugar and a little of its own fizz. This is the Asti method, close to the usual tank method but with a single fermentation.
Moscato d'Asti differs from the similar Asti in the strength of its bubbles. Asti is fully sparkling under a mushroom cork, while Moscato d'Asti is semi-sparkling, with low pressure and a regular cork. It tastes of fresh grapes, peach and flowers. It is drunk young and cold, with fruit and desserts. Because of its low alcohol it is often grouped with low-alcohol wine, but it is still an alcoholic drink.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Moscato d'Asti → → → 🍇 Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Semi-sparkling wine
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ Italian wine
- Related to
- 🍇 Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Asti, 🍷 Asti method, 🍷 Low-alcohol wine
Frequently asked questions
How much alcohol is in Moscato d'Asti?
Usually about 5–5.5%, roughly half that of a typical wine.
What is the difference between Moscato d'Asti and Asti?
Asti is fully sparkling with high pressure, while Moscato d'Asti is only lightly fizzy and sealed with a regular cork.
What do you serve Moscato d'Asti with?
Fruit, pastries and light desserts. It is served well chilled and drunk young.
What to read next
- 🍇 Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains — The oldest Muscat variety, with small berries, giving aromatic sweet and sparkling wines.
- 🗺️ Italian wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grape varieties, appellations.
Similar
🍷 Frizzante · 🍷 Lambrusco · 🍷 Pét-nat · 🍷 Aerated semi-sparkling wine · 🍷 Agulha · 🍷 Pétillant
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
Sources
- Wikidata
- Wikipedia (en)
- Wikipedia (de)
- Wikipedia (fr)
- Wikipedia (it)
- Wikipedia (es)
- OIV, International Code of Oenological Practices