Moscato bianco Wine Guide
Moscato Bianco, also called Moscato d’Asti or Moscato of Canelli, is part of the great family of Moscati, the aromatic varieties par excellence.
Its history is ancient, the first written records date back to 1300, of course in Piedmont, home of choice on this super fragrant vine. Today we are going to talk mainly about Asti, the most representative DOCG of this variety, but you can find it in every part of Italy.
There are several legends about White Moscato, some tell that this noble grape was already cultivated by the Greeks and it was the famous “uva apiana” of the Romans, so sweet and irresistible that all the bees were madly fond of it.
Other sources ensure that Moscato came from the Middle East and that it reached Italy with the return of the Crusaders.
Rumors aside, what interests us are the organoleptic characteristics of Moscato, which made him the best-selling sparkling wine in the world.
Moscato bouquet
Moscato is recognizable for its unmistakable bouquet that always includes musk, peach, sage first of all and then lime, wisteria, honey and white flowers. In sparkling wines, you can also find creamy and sugary suggestions due to the yeasts.
What does Moscato wine taste like
On the palate Moscato is light, with an agile and elegant structure, but always compact, with medium freshness and low minerality. When you are dealing with an Asti Spumante the watchword is drinkability.
But first of all, there are two versions of Moscato Bianco, at least in the Asti DOCG.
Asti Spumante, the King of the Italian sparkling wines
The best known, Asti Spumante, the classic, fragrant sparkling wine, with greenish-golden color, fine bubbles and the unique, irresistible, but never too exasperated, sweetness and alcohol content of 12 degrees at most.
We’re not talking about Methode Champenoise/spumante metodo Classico wines of course, but agile and very pleasant wines, easy to drink, made with the Martinotti/Charmat method, which is fermented in tanks.
And then there are the even lighter & sweeter Moscato d’Asti. A little hidden gem: fruity and soft, without bubbles, the classic light wine perfect to accompany biscuits, cheesecakes and butter cookies.
We should also mention Moscato Passito, late harvest wines, a thick, mellow and spicy wine, which is aged in wood, softened by a stunning floral and musky bouquet. You will find it in many parts of Italy, declined in various ways, depending on the vigneron’s “touch”.
Moscato production areas
Langhe and Monferrato are the most suitable areas, with various municipalities in the province of Cuneo, Asti unto Alexandria.
How to serve Moscato Bianco-Asti Spumante?
Moscato is a light wine all focused on the fineness of the bouquet: serve it at 10 degrees in a large champagne glass, so that its perfumes can go directly to the nose.
Moscato food pairings
Despite having a light structure, Asti Spumante is, thanks to its bubbles, one of the most ductile wines for dessert pairings, including cakes caloric and challenging as cheesecake with wild berries, tiramisu, trifle. Avoid chocolate cakes, but try it with hazelnut cake, carrot cake, the famous sbrisolona cake valance or simple coconut biscuits.