Moscato d'Asti

Moscato d'Asti is a wine appellation in the province of Asti and in the provinces of Alessandria and Cuneo, in the north-west Italy, designated for sparkling wines.

The wines are made from the Moscato Bianco (aka Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains) grape, are sweet and low in alcohol, and often enjoyed with fruit-based desserts (mango, peach tarts) or fresh fruits like strawberrys.

A related wine is Asti Spumante  elevated to a DOCG status and renamed Asti, in an effort to distinguish it from the host of  sparkling wines produced in Italy from a variety of grapes of varying quality. Asti is also from the Moscato Bianco grape,  sweet and low in alcohol.

With a maximum of 1.7 atmospheres of pressure in the bottle, Moscato d'Asti is only slightly frothy while Asti is fully sparkling at 5 atmospheres.  The alcohol content for Moscato d' Asti is considerably lower (5.5% as opposed to Asti's 7–9.5%)

The taste of Moscato d' Asti  is typically reminiscent of ripe orange-fleshed melons, nectarines and blossom, it has an uplifting perfume and although sweet it isn't a cloying,  but light and refreshing.