Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, two sparklers from the Piedmont region of Italy, are typically paired with desserts such as fruit, pastries and especially at the holidays, cakes such as panettone and pandoro. I was intrigued by the opportunity to try these wines with Japanese food at Zuma, a Japanese restaurant at 261 Madison Ave, New York, NY.
Giacomo Pondini, Director of Consorzio Asti DOCG was the speaker. He explained in great detail both Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, and the difference between them. It was a very interesting and informative talk.
Asti Spumante DOCG and Moscato d’Asti DOCG come from the Moscato Bianco (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains) strain of grapes. It is one of the oldest known varieties of wine grapes and grows in the Piedmont regions of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato. The zone is located between the Ligurian Coast and the Alps.
Moscato d’Asti is made from the same grape as Asti Spumante and has many of the same flavors and aromas. It is also low in alcohol, around 5% by volume. The difference is that Moscato d’Asti is only slightly sparkling (Frizzante) and it is vintage dated, while Asti Spumante is not dated and is considered a Spumante. Moscato d’Asti should be drunk as close to the vintage date as possible. The two wines share the same DOCG.
For Asti Spumante the grapes are refrigerated at zero degrees until they reach a second fermentation, a process that can be accomplished either according to the “Martinotti Method” or the complex “Classico Method.” Recently, the range of residual sugars has been expanded from traditional sweet to extra dry, from brut to pas dosé. Asti Spumante is known worldwide as a sparkling wine to be drunk every time there is a reason to celebrate.
There were 9 dishes altogether and they were all excellent. I have listed some of them below. The pairings were with dry and sweet Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti.
Beef skewer with shishito pepper and smoked chili soy
For Moscato d’Asti, there is a gentle pressing of the grape bunches by a pneumatic press. The must is clarified in order to eliminate the solid residue and any other undesired components it may contain. Alcoholic fermentation takes place through the addition of select yeasts at a controlled temperature. The limpid and cooled must is poured into large tanks and repeatedly filtered to prevent spontaneous fermentation. Moscato d’Asti does not go through a second fermentation in the bottle. Instead, the second fermentation is performed in a single tank (autoclave) using the Martinotti method, in which bubbles are trapped in the wine via carbonation in the tank. Yeasts are eliminated by filtration or centrifugation. The wine is then kept in cooling tanks at about -3C so that fermentation does not start. At the time of bottling, the temperature is raised until fermentation begins. It is stopped at about 5% alcohol. Fermentation can be stopped and then started so that the wine can be bottled several times a year. This aromatic wine should be enjoyed young when it is at its freshest.
Chef’s sashimi and maki selection
Both Moscato d’Asti and Asti Spumante have aromas of apricot, pear, peach, honeysuckle, mandarin orange, jasmine and white flowers.
Arione Asti Dry Secco made from 100% Moscato White.Canelli grapes The Extra Dry Asti DOCG by Arione is an innovative wine, giving a new style to ASTI DOCG. It is an extra dry sparkling wine, dryer and less sweet than the traditional Asti DOCG. A new concept and a new taste for a wine that shaped the history of Langhe and Monferrato territory, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Alcohol12.5. It has a typical delicate muscat aroma and was by far the “driest” wine tasted and the one that went the best with most of the food.
Tre Secoli Asti Extra Dry made from 100% Moscato. 11.5 % alcohol and 16.0 residual sugar. The wine has hints of tropical fruit, peach and pear with notes of vanilla and ripe fruit.
Tenuta il Falchetto Tenuta del Fant Canelli 2023 made from 100% Moscato from vineyards located in Santo Stefano-Calosso with soil of limestone and sandstone marls. Manual Harvest. The wine has hints of white flowers, citrus fruit and sage.
Cascina Galletto Moscato d’Asti 2023 made from the Moscato Bianco Canelli grape from the Cascina Galleto vineyards at 400 meters. The manual harvest is from the end of August to the first week of September. The wine has hints of citrus fruit, pear, apple and orange blossom.
Gianni Doglia “La Giostra” Moscato d’Asti 2023 made from 100% White Moscato. The soil is limestone – clay. Practicing Organic. Manual harvest. Alcohol is 5%. The wine is fruity with hints of ripe apricots, pears, white flowers and a note of sage.
Yellow tail sashimi green chili relish, ponzu, pickled garlic
Contratto de Miranda Metodo Classico 2017 Made from 100% Moscato grapes. It is produced using the Metodo Classico, or traditional method, which involves a second fermentation in the bottle, giving it a fine and persistent perlage (bubbles). The wine exhibits a complex aromatic profile with notes of dried fruit, pastry, citrus, mango and subtle notes of bread crust due to aging on the lees.
Cocchi Asti Spumante made from 100% White Moscato. The colors of the flags of the medieval festival “Palio di Asti” are paraded on this bottle that Giulio Cocchi produces with more than one hundred years of experience. The wine has the aromatic fragrance of the Moscato grape, a rich and intense aroma with a fruity taste of wisteria, acacia and honey. It features a well-balanced sweetness and a low alcohol content 7%
Black cod marinated in sakyo miso wrapped in hoba leaf
Ca’dgal Vite Vecchia Moscato d’Asti 2014 The grapes come from three plots of land situated in the Valdivilla Hills. They are combined to create a one-hectare vineyard, planted with an old clone of the white Canelli Moscato, which is now 60 years old. The earth is light and whitish and the higher percentage of limestone. Since 2003 the 1,300 bottles are kept each year and only placed on the market in September of the fifth year after the harvest. The wine has hints of ripe mango, apricot and lychee.
Matteo Soria Moscato d’Asti 2013 made from Moscato Bianco à Petits. In the middle between Brut and Extra Dry and leaning to the dry side. The wine has hints of apricot, orange and peach with a note of honey and a touch of orange blossoms.
I enjoyed this opportunity to expand my knowledge of these two classic wines and experiment with tasting them in combination with Japanese dishes. It was a very successful tasting.