Ch.10 – Asti

Question 1

Asti DOCG and Moscato D’Asti DOCG in one card

Answer 1

• Asti DOCG is a sparkling, low alcohol
  
  • SINGLE FERMENTATION tank fermented
  • from Moscato Bianco (Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains)
  • in three provinces of Piedmont
    
    • Asti, Alexandria, Cuneo
  • pronounced orange blossom, grapes and peach
  • medium acidity, low alcohol, medium-sweet
• Moscato d’Asti - generally higher quality
  
  • fruit from same 3 provinces
  • lower alcohol, medium + acidity, sweeter
• Both types good to v good quality, inexpensive - mid.

Question 2

Climate of Asti

Answer 2

• moderate continental with cold winters and moderate, warm, dry summers
• Spring & Autumn rainiest - risks to fruit set and harvest
• must be grown on hillside sites with pref limestone & clay soils
• Max yields 70 tons/ha

Question 3

Moscato Bianco for Asti

Answer 3

• 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
• Modern research seeks to make it more disease resistant, perfumed and higher yielding

Question 4

Grape growing in Asti

Answer 4

• Medium density
• Guyot replacement cane VSP suitable moderate vigour
• Most aromatic from limestone soils, but due to demand, also on clay

Question 5

Harvest date in Asti

Answer 5

• 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)

Question 6

Winemaking of Asti

Answer 6

• Soft press whole bunch
• Juice settled, filtered, chilled to 2-3 C
• Fermentation in pressure-resistant tanks 16-18 C & neutral cultured yeasts, both to preserve primary fruit
• Malo is prevented (SO2/ filtering) to preserve acidity
• No tirage, no dosage - the sugar which provides CO2 and residual sugar comes from must
• At start of ferment CO2 released through valve. Must is monitored to check falling sugar levels. Once calculated level reached, valve closed and CO2 retained
• Fermentation stopped by filtering wine under pressure to remove yeast

Question 7

How does Asti ensure it stays fresh?

Answer 7

• makes it to demand
• everything really cold to preserve fruit
• unused must kept at 2-3C
• when someone wants it, warm it up to 16-18C, ferment it, no ageing, bottle and out the door
• fermentation in large tanks and early sale means lareg volumes can be produced quick and cheap (after initial investment in specialised tanks)

Question 8

Different styles of Asti & their requirements

Answer 8

• Asti DOCG
  
  • final alcohol used to be 6-8% - 100g/L resid sugar
  • now 6% is minimum, enabling Extra Brut (12g/l +) to sweet
• Moscati D’Asti DOCG
  
  • final alcohol 6-8%
  • results in 103g/L - sweeter than Asti DOCG
  • max pressure 2.5 atmospheres
• Asti Metodo Classico
  
  • trad method, 2nd ferment in bottle, 9mths on lees

Question 9

can you make a traditional method Asti?

Answer 9

• Yes - Asti Metodo Classico
• 9 mths on lees in bottle
• Dolce in sweetness

Question 10

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

Answer 10

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 & Gavoi

Question 11

Broadly, what are the two types of company involved in production of Asti?

Answer 11

1. Large volume producers of Asti and Mocasto d’Asti, often sparkling wine specialists like Martini or Gancia)
2. Smaller producers, often make high quality Barolo & Barbaresco, send their Moscato grapes to specialist sparkling wine firms

Question 12

Distribution of sales of Asti

Answer 12

• Moscato d’Asti doubled production since 2009 when fashionable in USA
• Large majority of Asti sold in Europe