10 Asti

Question 1

Describe the styles of Asti DOCG and Moscato D’Asti DOCG

Answer 1

Majority

• Sparkling, low alc wine from Moscato Bianco (MBaPG) grown in delimited area
  
  • 3 prov of Piemonte Asti, Alexandria and Cuneo
• Majority made by mod of Tank method called Asti meth.
• Wines have
  
  • pron flavours of orange blossom, grape, peach.
  • M acid, l alc, sweet.
• G/VG, inexp mid price

Asti DOCG

• Spumante style, 6-8% abv and RS 100g/l
• Recent modifications to DOCG regs
  
  • abv open-ended above 6% enables drier styles
  • Range allowed is now Extra Dry – Dolce >> 12g/l and higher
  • Brut Nature currently being approved.

Moscato d’Asti DOCG

• Frizzante style,
• 4.5 – 6.5% abv & 130g/l RS

Question 2

Climate and Grape Growing of Asti

Answer 2

• moderate continental with cold winters and hot, warm, dry summers
• Adeq rain:
  
  • Spring & Autumn rainiest - risks to fruit set and harvest
• Must be grown on hillside sites with pref limestone & clay soils
• Max yields 70 hl/ha
• Moscato Bianca aka Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains
  
  • aromatic, early budding, mid-ripening, small berry
• Prone to
  
  • powdery mildew (needs well exposed sites)
  • botrytis bunch rot (canopy management)
  • attracts bees, wasps, flying ants (scent/ thin skin)
  • susceptible to mites
  • Clonal selection seeks to make it more disease resistant, perfumed and higher yielding
• Planted at medium density
  
  • Guyot replacement cane VSP
    
    • with mod rain + low fertility soil vine does not overcrop
    • good exp to sunlight (care to not exp to sunburn)
    • avoids excessive humidity
    • reduce risk fungal disease
    • ensures good ripening of fruit
• Most aromatic grapes from limestone soils, but due to demand, also on clay

Question 3

Describe the harvest in Asti.

Answer 3

• When ripeness of fruit and desired acidity
  
  • as acidity must balance high sweetness of final wine
• Harvest early to mid Sept (well before Oct rains)
• Asti - grapes picked slightly earlier (higher acid)
• Moscato - later for aroma intensity
• Hand harvest on steeper slopes or if whole bunches desired
• Increasingly more mech harvest is used to contain cost.

Question 4

Winemaking of Asti

Answer 4

• Soft press whole bunch
  
  • if machine harv. destem and press asap avoid oxid.
• Most production is 2 phase at 2 sites.
• Phase 1
  
  • prod/clarif./
  • chill and store
  • must not reqd imm refrigerated at 2 - 3 degC maintained freshest poss condition for later fermentation
  • cb kept up to 2 yrs
• Phase 2​​
  
  • Single ferment of warmed up must
  • in pressure resistant tanks, temp control
  • low temp 16 - 18 degC pres prim fruit
  • neutral cultured yeast
  • block malo - retain acidity
  • No tirage - sugar all from fruit. RS achieved by stopping ferm before dry.
  • No dosage - sugar from fruit.
  • At start of ferment CO2 released through valve. Must is monitored to check falling sugar levels
    
    • (desired RS and CO2 for Spum/Friz).
  • Once calculated level reached, valve closed and CO2 retained
• Fermentation stopped by rapid chill and filter under pressure to remove yeast
• Wine released after a few weeks - intended for early consumption.

Note The above menas large investment for presses, flotation tanks, filtration/centrifuge equip, large heat exchangers & refrigerated storage space + ongoing energy costs.

Question 5

How does the production method ensure Asti is always fresh?

Answer 5

• makes it to demand
• everything really cold to preserve fruit
• unused must kept at 2-3C
• according to demand must is warmed to 16-18C, fermented, no ageing, bottled and sold
• fermentation in large tanks and early sale means large volumes can be produced quick and cheap (after initial investment in specialised tanks)

Question 6

Different styles of Asti & the regulations they meet

Answer 6

• Asti DOCG
  
  • final alcohol used to be 6-8% abv and 100g/L RS
  • now 6% abv is minimum only - can ferm to 12g/l
  • enables range of Extra Dry (12g/l +) to Dolce
  • “Asti Secco” - competes with Prosecco
  • Brut N. currently being approved.
• Asti Metodo Classico
  
  • trad method, 2nd ferm bottle, 9m lees, Dolce
• Moscati D’Asti DOCG
  
  • final alcohol 6-8% abv
  • 130g/L RS - sweeter than Asti DOCG
  • max pressure 2.5 bar => frizzante

Question 7

Describe the market structure of Asti

Answer 7

• 4 companies prod >60% of Asti wine e.g. Martini & Rossi
• Smaller producers send own, or buy grapes to send to specialist producers to make and sell under own label (e.g. custom crush model)
• Co-ops play nb role: provide chilled, clarified, filtered juice to large co’s to do the fermentation
• Large majority of Asti sold in Europe
  
  • 70% Asti
  • 30% Moscato d’Asti
• Fashion in the USA has led to a doubling of Moscato Asti production and export.

Question 8

The Asti DOCG Consorzio (Consortium) promotes which 3 types of Asti?

Answer 8

1. Moscati d’Asti
2. Asti Secco (ie off-dry style to compete with Prosecco, popular as aperitifs and cocktails)
3. Asti (also called Asti Dolce)

NB The Asti Consorzio belongs to Piemonte Land of Perfection which also represents prestigious Barolo, Barbaresco & Gavi