Wine region | |
![]() A glass of Asti | |
Type | DOCG |
---|---|
Year established | 1967 (DOC; elevated to DOCG 1993) |
Country | Italy |
Part of | Piedmont |
Sub-regions | Canelli, Santa Vittoria d’Alba, Strevi |
Size of planted vineyards | 7,770 hectares (19,200 acres)[1] |
Varietals produced | Moscato Bianco |
Wine produced | 665,790 hectolitres (14,645,000 imp gal; 17,588,000 US gal)[1] |
Asti (also known as Asti spumante)[2] is a sparkling white Italian wine that is produced throughout southeastern Piedmont, but is particularly focused around the towns of Asti and Alba. Since 1993 the wine has been classified as a denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) and as of 2004 was Italy's largest producing appellation.[3] On an average vintage more than ten times as much Asti is produced in Piedmont than the more well-known Piedmontese red wine Barolo.[4]
Made from the Moscato Bianco grape, it is sweet and low in alcohol, and often served with dessert. Unlike Champagne, Asti is not made sparkling through the use of secondary fermentation in the bottle, but rather through a single tank fermentation utilizing the Charmat method. It retains its sweetness through a complex filtration process.[4] Another wine called Moscato d'Asti is made in the same region from the same grape, but is only slightly sparkling (frizzante) and tends to have even lower alcohol.[3]
On 22 June 2014, Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[5][6] This landscape covers five distinct wine-growing areas and the Castle of Cavour, an important site both in the development of vineyards and in Italian history.