Asti Flashcards

1
Q

What are Asti and Moscato d’Asti DOCG?

A

sparkling low-alcohol wines made from Moscato Blanco (Muscat Blanc Petit Grains) grown in a single delimited area within 3 provinces of Piedmont: Asti, Alessandria, and Cuneo

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2
Q

How are Asti and Moscato d’Asti DOCG wines made?

A

both made by a modification of the tank method commonly referred to as Asti method

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3
Q

General SAT for Asti DOCG and Moscato d’Asti DOCG

A

pronounced aromas and flavors of orange blossom, grapes and peach

med acidity, most are low alcohol and sweet
Asti DOCG is slightly higher in alcohol and fully sparkling
Moscato = lower alcohol, semi sparkling and typically higher residual sugar

good to very good quality
inexpensive or mid priced

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4
Q

What is Asti DOCG also known as

A

Asti Spumante

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5
Q

What is the climate for Asti DOCG

A

moderate continental with cold winters and hot dry summers; adequate rainfall with spring and autumn as rainiest seasons

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6
Q

What regulations are in place for Asti DOCG?

A

grapes are required to be grown on hillside sites (for better sunlight interception and drainage) with a preference to limestone and clay soils

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7
Q

what are max yields for Asti DOCG?

A

75 hl/ha for tank method wines

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8
Q

Describe Moscato Bianco

A

another name for Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains
aromatic, early budding, mid-ripening, with small berry size

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9
Q

what is Moscato Bianco prone to? how is this dealt with

A

powdery mildew, botrytis bunch rot - needs careful canopy management to avoid shade and enhance air circulation

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10
Q

What makes Moscato Bianco attractive to bees, flying ants and wasps and mites

A

thin skin and attractive scent

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11
Q

How does clonal selection help Moscato Bianco

A

makes it more resistant to disease perfumed and higher yielding

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12
Q

What density are Moscato Bianco planted?

A

medium density

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13
Q

How are Moscato Bianco trained?

A

Guyot system with vertical shoot positioning
in combination with low fertility soil and moderate rainfall the vine does not overcrop and VSP ensures good exposure to sunlight avoiding excessive humidity reducing risk of fungal disease

don’t want to remove too many leaves in hot years to avoid sun burn

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14
Q

what type of soil are the grapes with the most aromatic juice obtained from in Asti?

A

limestone but they are also planted in clay due to commercial success

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15
Q

How is harvest date decided in Asti

A

by ripeness of fruit with desired acidity as acidity is needed to balance the high sweetness of the final wine

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16
Q

When does harvest typically take place for Asti?

A

early to mid Sept normally well before the October rains

Asti = slightly earlier to ensure high acidity
Moscato d’Asti = slightly later for high aromatic intensity

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17
Q

How are Asti grapes harvested?

A

hand harvesting is required on steeper slopes or where whole bunches are desired

mechanical harvesting is increasingly becoming an option where it is possible - decreasing costs

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18
Q

What type of pressing is used to produce the best quality in Asti?

A

whole bunch pressing

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19
Q

How are grapes pressed when they are destemmed first or picked by machine

A

pressed as rapidly as possible in order to minimize oxidation

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20
Q

What happens after Asti grapes are pressed?

A

must is clarified

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21
Q

How many phases does Asti and Moscato d’Asti take place in? what are they?

A

2 - production, clarification, filtration of the must followed by chilling and storage
and single fermentation of warmed up must when required by demand

22
Q

What happens to must that is not required immediately in Asti?

A

it is refrigerated to 2-3C to be maintained in the freshest possible condition for fermentation later when there is demand

23
Q

What is the purpose of chilling unneeded must

A

to release wine with the freshest primary fruit flavors throughout the year

24
Q

How long can the grapes for Asti be kept for once refrigerated

A

up to 2 years without losing the fresh and fruity aromas

25
Q

What are some of the costs related to the Asti process?

A

presses, flotation tanks, filtration or centrifuge equipment, large heat exchangers and refrigerated storage spaces. ongoing energy costs are also high

26
Q

Where does fermentation take place?

A

pressure resistant temperature controlled tanks at low temps -16-18C to preserve the primary fruit flavor

27
Q

What type of yeasts are used for Asti wines?

A

neutral cultured yeasts are preferred to preserve primary fruit flavors

28
Q

Does malolactic conversion take place for Asti wines?

A

no it is prevented to preserve acidity

29
Q

How are Asti and Moscato d’Asti made into sparkling wines?

A

through a single fermentation in tanks that can sustain pressure

30
Q

Where does the C02 come from in Asti sparkling wines?

A

the fermentation of the sugar in the original must not through later tirage

31
Q

Where does the residual sugar in the final wine of Asti come from?

A

stopping the fermentation before dryness not through dosage.

32
Q

What happens at the start of fermentation for Asti?

A

the C02 produced as part of the fermentation is released through the valve in the tank. the fermenting must will be regularly monitored to check the falling sugar levels

33
Q

When is the valve closed on the tank and the C02 from fermentation is retained

A

once the required level of residual sugar to make frizzante or spumante is calculated and reached

34
Q

What happens once the desired residual sugar level and pressure are obtained in the Asti menthod?

A

fermentation is stopped by rapidly chilling the wine and filtering it under pressure to remove the yeast

35
Q

When is Asti wine released after fermentation is stopped?

A

After a few weeks and intended to be drunk young

36
Q

What abv range was Asti DOCG traditionally in?

A

6-8 abv resulting in sweet wines around 100 g/L residual sugar

37
Q

What have recent modifications to Asti DOCG regulations now make final abv for the wine?

A

final alcohol level open-ended above 6% lower limit which allows for drier styles

38
Q

What range of styles can Asti DOCG be made in

A

Pas Dolce (brut Natue) to Dolce (sweet)

39
Q

Describe Asti Metodo Classico

A

wine must spend a min of 9 months on the lees in the bottle and can range from pas Dose to Dolce

40
Q

What is the final alcohol level for Moscato d’Asti

A

4.5%-6.5% abv

41
Q

What styles of wines are found in Moscato d’ASti DOCG

A

sweeter than Asti DOCG (around 130 g/l) - Dolce

42
Q

Which sparkling style are Moscato d’Asti and what pressure can they not exceed?

A

frizzante in style
2.5 atmospheres

43
Q

Who is most of the wine in Asti and Moscato d’Asti DOCGs made by?

A

very large producers

44
Q

How many companies produce more than 60% of all wine produced? who is the biggest

A

four - MArtini and Rossi

45
Q

What do smaller producers typically do with the grapes they grow for Asti wines?

A

send them to specialist sparkling wine firms to be made into wine or buy high quality grapes for the wines to be made by a specialist for them and sold under the producer’s own label

46
Q

What important role do so-operatives play in the Asti region?

A

providing chilled, clarified, and filtered juice to the large companies who then carry out the fermentation

47
Q

What are the three types of wines being promoted by Asti consorzio for marketing purposes?

A

Moscato d’Asti, Asti Secco (an off dry style) and Asti (also called Asti Dolce the traditional sweet wine)

48
Q

What does the ASti consortium belong to?

A

overarching promotional body: Piedmont Land of Perfection - which also represents other denominations such as Gavi

49
Q

What were the top 3 markets in 2020

A

Russia, Usa, Uk

50
Q

What is the break out (in 2020) of what Asti (Spumante) and Moscato d’Asti accounted for in terms of production?

A

Asti = 59%
Moscato d’Asti = 41%

51
Q

How much did production of Moscato d’asti rise between 2009-2020? why?

A

3 fold - mainly due to demand in USA - nearly 40% was sold in USA in 2020