Making the Most of Moscato

While most wines hailing from northeastern Italy’s Piemonte Region are dry, there is one notable exception that is a classic. It’s Moscato d’Asti. Coming from the hillsides around the sub region of Asti, the Moscato grape thrives there. Fragrant. lightly sweet and slightly frothy, the alcohol level is low at only 5.9% by volume. The pressure is low, only about a quarter of regular sparkling wines. While not a classic dessert wine, its signature characteristic with its freshness, delicacy and intensely floral aromas makes it the perfect brunch wine. If not drunk on its own, it’s great to pair with fruit and fruit-based desserts. We are fortunate to have the local Ontario peach season upon us as this blog is being written, so let’s quickly take advantage of this tasty gift of nature before its over. Vinitaly’s wine competition gave it 91 points, so proceed to your local LCBO Vintages section to pick up some bottles. The producer, Manfredi, is a long established local Moscato specialist.

 2021 Manfredi Moscato d’Asti, LCBO #31164, $16.95