Asti is Piedmont's sweet, fragrant sparkling wine, made from Moscato Bianco on the hills around Asti, Canelli and Santo Stefano Belbo. The name covers two wines: fully sparkling Asti Spumante and the softer, gently fizzing Moscato d'Asti. Both taste of ripe peach, orange blossom, sage and fresh grapes, and both carry far less alcohol than most wines.
Asti DOCG: Moscato Bianco from the hills of southern Piedmont
Asti became a DOC in 1967 and a DOCG in 1993. The zone spreads over the hills of the provinces of Asti, Cuneo and Alessandria, between the Langhe and the Monferrato, and the grape is Moscato Bianco, known in France as Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. It is one of the oldest and most aromatic members of the Muscat family, and on the steep, calcareous slopes around Canelli and Santo Stefano Belbo it ripens slowly and keeps its freshness.
Canelli is where Carlo Gancia began making sparkling wine from Moscato in the 1860s, after learning the craft in Champagne. Since 2023 the best Moscato from the Canelli hills has had its own DOCG, simply called Canelli, and we list it here alongside Moscato d'Asti because it is the same grape and the same style.
Asti Spumante vs Moscato d'Asti: one grape, two styles
Both wines are made in the same unusual way. The grape must is kept cold until it is needed, then fermented once in a sealed pressure tank. The carbon dioxide stays in the wine, and the fermentation is stopped by chilling while plenty of natural grape sugar remains. Nothing is added afterwards, so the sweetness and the aroma come straight from the grape.
Asti Spumante
Asti, often still sold as Asti Spumante, ferments further and builds full sparkling pressure, landing at roughly 7 to 9 percent alcohol. It is the festive, foaming style under a mushroom cork and wire cage. Cocchi's Asti and the Rocca dei Forti Asti DOCG show the classic, fruity side. Contratto in Canelli goes another way with De Miranda, a rare Asti made by the traditional method with its second fermentation in bottle, for finer bubbles and more depth.
Moscato d'Asti
Moscato d'Asti is stopped earlier, at around 5 percent alcohol, and is only lightly sparkling, so it comes under an ordinary cork. It is the more delicate wine, and the one serious growers love. La Spinetta, famous for Barbaresco but devoted to Moscato for decades, makes Bricco Quaglia from a single vineyard. Ca' d'Gal Lumine, Ceretto's I Vignaioli di Santo Stefano, Michele Chiarlo Nivole and Fontanafredda Moncucco show the classic floral style, while Barolo names such as G.D. Vajra, Massolino, Prunotto and Oddero prove that Moscato is taken as seriously as Nebbiolo in Piedmont.
How to serve Asti and what to eat with it
Serve both styles well chilled, at 6 to 8°C, and drink them young while the fruit is at its brightest. Moscato d'Asti is lovely at brunch or as a light aperitif. Both shine with fruit desserts: peaches, strawberries, fruit tarts, panettone and hazelnut cake. Keep the dessert a little less sweet than the wine. The low alcohol and soft sweetness also calm spicy Thai food, and a glass works well with mild blue cheese.
Asti and Moscato d'Asti: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Asti Spumante and Moscato d'Asti?
Both come from Moscato Bianco grown in the same DOCG. Asti Spumante is fully sparkling with roughly 7 to 9 percent alcohol. Moscato d'Asti is gently fizzy, has around 5 percent alcohol and is usually a little sweeter and more aromatic.
Is Asti Spumante the same as Prosecco?
No. Prosecco comes from the Glera grape in north-east Italy and is mostly dry or off-dry. Asti is made from Moscato Bianco in Piedmont and is sweet and intensely grapey. Find more styles among our sparkling wines.
Where is Barbera d'Asti?
Barbera d'Asti is a red wine from the same province, but it is a different appellation and grape. You will find it on our Barbera page.