Tasting

In the glass, Asti is pale straw-yellow, with a foam that settles quickly. The nose recalls ripe grapes, peach, elderflower, and orange peel, and on the palate it's sweet, juicy, and light, with low acidity and low alcohol.

Moscato d'Asti feels even gentler. It fizzes only lightly, the foam is soft, the alcohol sits around 5.5 percent, and the sweetness carries an aroma reminiscent of freshly picked grapes. Asti, with its higher pressure, sparkles more vigorously and feels livelier in the mouth.

Examples include Asti from Canelli houses like Gancia, Bosca, and Contratto, as well as Moscato d'Asti from small producers like Paolo Saracco in Castiglione Tinella. They show the full range, from the consistent house style to the wine of a single family.

You may know the flat coupe glass from old films, but it's unsuitable for Asti, since both aroma and sparkle dissipate quickly. A flute keeps the bubbles rising longer but captures the aroma less effectively than a tulip glass. A tulip glass or a white wine glass with a medium-sized opening holds the aromas together, and the Moscato scent comes through much more clearly in it.

It tastes best well chilled, at around 6 to 8 degrees Celsius, since warmer temperatures make the sweetness feel cloying. When opening, hold the cork firmly and turn the bottle, not the cork, until you hear a soft hiss. Point the cork away from yourself and others, since Asti sits under more than three bar of pressure. An opened bottle belongs back in the fridge.