Asti DOCG; Asti

[AH-stee] Located in the southeastern portion of the piedmont region near the town of Asti, this docg area produces Italy's most famous sparkling wine formerly called Asti Spumante. It shares this DOCG with a related wine, Moscato d'Asti, which is made similarly, but in a frizzante (instead of fully sparkling) style. In 1994, when Asti Spumante was upgraded to DOCG status, its name was simplified to Asti. These wines, which are generally semisweet to sweet, are so popular that the amount produced by this DOCG is now second only to the chianti docg. The wines are made in a modified version of the charmat (or autoclave) process. In this procedure the grape must is filtered and then stored in tanks at near freezing temperatures so that fermentation can't begin. The producers make batches according to demand so that the resulting wines can be as fresh as possible. To produce the wine, the must is allowed to warm and then is innoculated with yeast so that fermentation can begin. This process all occurs inside large sealed tanks so that the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation isn't lost. After the desired alcohol and residual sugar levels are reached, the wine is rapidly chilled to stop fermentation. The wine is then filtered, bottled, and corked-ready for shipment. The main difference between the Asti DOCG wines and the Moscato d'Asti DOCG wines is that fermentation of Moscato d'Asti wines is stopped sooner so that the residual sugar content is higher, the alcohol level is lower, and the wine is less effervescent because less carbon dioxide is produced. Additionally, Asti is normally packaged like champagne with a wired-down cork, and Moscato d'Asti generally has the standard cork used by most still wines. The wines are made from the muscat grape (called Moscato Bianco or Moscato di Canelli in this region), and the resulting wine has a fresh grapey taste. Asti Spumante and Moscato d'Asti wines should be drunk young and fresh.