One of the many things I love about Italian wines is that
the most serious, ageworthy ones can rub along in close proximity with the fun,
light and frivolous. UK wine lovers can have a tendency to revere the serious
and to view anything sweet and fizzy as not worthy of their attention. Italian
drinkers, it seems, have no such qualms. My summer holiday this year in
Piedmont provided a wonderful example.
Piedmont is most famous for the twin (or at least sibling)
regions of Barolo and Barbaresco either side of the picturesque town of Alba,
famous for its truffle market. They produce big-boned, long lived red wines
from the Nebbiolo grape which, as they age, can develop haunting aromas of
English rose and tar, but with tannins which continue to exert a firm grip.
But a mere grape’s throw away, in villages around the small
city of Asti, are Muscat vines which go to make Asti (Asti Spumante as was) and
Moscato d’Asti.
Asti tout court is
a fully sparkling wine with lowish alcohol, definite sweetness and a musky
grapiness. It’s a completely valid style of wine, but the ones we tend to see
in this country are made by the big producers and can be rather basic.
Moscato d’Asti is lightly sparkling, deeply fruity and
sweet, but with alcohol of around just 4.5-5.5%, generally made on a more
artisan scale and have more interest and character as a result.
They can be hard to find – not least because retailers tend
not to put them on the shelf with other sparkling wines; and they come in
standard bottles and corks, so don’t stand out amongst the still wines either. However,
there are some to be found – independent merchants are a happy hunting ground
for this kind of thing – and here are a few pointers to get you started. One
final tip: you’ll notice these are all 2014 vintage and Moscato d’Asti is a
prime example of a DYA (Drink Youngest Available) wine.
Contero Moscato
d’Asti di Strevi 2014 - £12.95 from slurp.co.uk and independents
Elio Perrone Moscato
d’Asti 2014 - £7.95 from The Wine Society
Vajra Moscato d’Asti
2014 - £13.99 – The Wine Reserve Cobham and other independents
Marco e Vittorio
Adriano Moscato d’Asti 2014 - £9.75 (case price) The Good Wine Shop Esher
Piasa San Maurizio
Moscato d’Asti 2014 - £11.50 – (case price) The Good Wine Shop Esher
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