Spring is a time of transition and awakening. We shed our winter coats for lighter jackets and go outside more to enjoy the lengthening days; skis give way to hiking boots and tennis sneakers. What we drink should change with the seasons as well. And while Asti Spumante DOCG and Moscato d’Asti DOCG are delicious year-round, these sparkling wines, with their light color, all-natural sweetness, and vibrant effervescence, pair perfectly with all things spring.
DOCG: Four Letters That Signify Quality and Provenance
The Moscato Bianco grapes that make up Asti wines come from the rolling hills of Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato in the Piedmont region in northwestern Italy, bordered by the Alps on one side and the Ligurian coast on the other. Every sip of Asti’s vibrant wines reflects this stunningly beautiful landscape—close your eyes while you taste them, and you can almost see the morning fog lifting from the lush, green valleys where the grapes that make up Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti are grown. The very first Italian sparkling wines were made here, 160 years ago, and today the area is so revered in the history of wine that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It’s this terroir that gives Asti wines their distinctive characteristics, so much so that Asti was given its own denomination by the Italian government. The full name is Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, or Denomination of Origin, Controlled and Guaranteed (DOCG). When shopping for an Asti wine, the “DOCG” appellation certifies that the wine was made using grapes from the specific part of the region, meeting the stringent specifications of the Italian government in every step of the process, from harvesting the grapes to vilification and taste. It’s four letters that protect and carry on 160 years of winemaking history.
Pick Your Vibe: Two Asti Wines From One Venerable Grape
Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti are two separate and distinct wines, but both come from the Moscato Bianco grape grown in Piedmont, and both wines are reflections of the Asti Vibes—namely the light, happy, vibrant mood of springtime. Asti Spumante is the best-known sweet bubble worldwide, and with good reason. Its aroma is rich with floral fragrances and notes of ripe fruit, notably acacia, wisteria, orange, and bergamot flowers, along with hints of sage and lemon. Its tiny, persistent bubbles bring a smile to the lips and a twinkle to the eye—it’s springtime’s rejuvenation in a glass.
Moscato d’Asti it’s no less enticing. It begins with humble peasant traditions, evolving into a divine masterpiece that now graces the finest pastry creations or serves as the epitome of refined sweetness in haute cuisine. Its bouquet is rich and intense, with aromas of acacia flowers, wisteria, orange, and mountain honey, complemented by undertones of spice and notes of elderberry, yarrow, and bergamot flowers. Its fizz is lighter and more subtle; it isn’t technically considered a sparkling wine, but its pleasures are no less intense. If Asti Spumante is the equivalent of a bright and breezy spring morning, Moscato d’Asti is the light of a calm, reflective afternoon, overlooking the rolling hills where the Asti vineyards sit.
Both Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti are low-ABV (generally about 7% and 5%, respectively) and unlike many other sparkling wines, they have no added sugar; the only sugar in the wines comes from the Moscato grape itself. The bubbles, and the sparkling tingle they bring to the tongue, are also all natural, a reflection of both the winemakers’ craft and an expression of joy, found in every bottle of Asti wines.
The Perfect Pairing for Easter Supper and a Variety of Springtime Cuisine
Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti are versatile wines to pair with every course and every kind of meal. For Easter supper, Asti wines complement a variety of dishes. Rich savory dishes like glazed ham or leg of lamb amplify the sweetness and bubbles, while desserts bring out their acidity; try Asti Spumante with rich puddings or cakes, and Moscato d’Asti with fruit tarts. Rich and indulgent dishes like truffles and caviar call for the wines’ bright fruity aromas and flavors.
In the season of rebirth and revival, Asti’s bright, natural, lightly sparkling wines are the ideal companion for springtime meals of every stripe. Bring chilled bottles on a warm-weather picnic, where their sweetness and natural fizz match up beautifully with cheeses, cured meats and olives on a charcuterie board, as well as fried chicken—hot or cold. And while Asti wines are ideal for spring, they match up with a host of cuisines for every season, from spicy East Asian and Indian fare to hearty European-influenced stews.
Drink the Asti Vibes: From a Corner Of Italy to the World
Asti wines are made in part of a small region of Italy. But there’s a whole world in the Piedmont region, where more than 3,000 winemakers produce Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti wines. Each has the classic characteristics that define Asti wines, but each hill, each valley, each dimple in the landscape produces a different, unique wine, both part of the larger Asti family and distinctive unto itself. The possibilities—and the Asti vibes—are limitless.