THE GRAPE IN A GLASS, MOSCATO MARCARINI
Together with Barolo and Barbera, Moscato d’Asti is without a shadow of a doubt the standard bearer of Piedmont winemaking around the world
Moscato d'Asti is the wine everyone thinks of when they speak of the Langhe and Monferrato hills, and very probably, the sweet wine par excellence when they think of Italy.
Moscato d’Asti and its “bubbly twin”, Asti Spumante, make up an important slice of Piedmont’s winegrowing economy - just consider that white Muscat Canelli, the grape variety from which it is obtained, is cultivated over a vast area. A total of around 9,700 hectares in fifty-two towns in Alessandria, Asti and Cuneo provinces, and no fewer than 4,000 farms involved in its production!
The inimitable feature of this wine is its extraordinary ability to bring the flavour of the grape it comes from to the glass, enhancing its natural sugary, floral bouquet.
It is no coincidence that both Moscato d’Asti, a naturally sparkling wine, and Asti, which is given its bubbles with the Charmat method, are considered party wines. Their natural sweetness means they are especially appreciated paired with desserts, or by contrast, with robustly flavoured cheeses and cured meats.
The time has come to make a closer acquaintance with Moscato d’Asti Marcarini, produced in our Neviglie vineyards.
MOSCATO D'ASTI MARCARINI
Serendipity
Serendipity is the art of finding something you were not looking for. A story that befits our Moscato d’Asti, the result of a search which reached conclusions very different from the premises. Towards the end of the mid-Nineties, our company was looking for Dolcetto vineyards to increase production of wine of the same name, then very much in vogue and profitable. So it was that travelling around the Langhe, we came across the Sargentin farmstead, a marvellous 19th century farmstead, somewhat rundown, but with splendid vineyards in an area exceptionally suited to winegrowing. Struck by the beauty of the place and its winegrowing potential, we discovered that nearly all the rows were of white Muscat! With a mixture of intuition and folly, we decided to buy it. Today, not only has that run down farmhouse become the jewel in the crown of Langa hospitality (the wonderful Agriturismo Marcarini), but Moscato d’Asti is one of our best-selling, most appreciated wines!
The unforgettable first taste
What really convinced us to produce Moscato was the first taste of the grapes during the first harvest. Only after having tasted the freshness and sweetness of those bunches did we understand that, together with our oenologists, we could make a great wine.
The grape in the bottle
The main aim of our vinification of Muscat is to leave the aromas and scents naturally present in the grapes unaltered: “finding the grape in the bottle”, this is the philosophy that sets Moscato Marcarini apart.
Attention to detail
However, it is not easy to vinify Muscat grapes, which being a partially fermented must, needs special care. Above all, constant control of the temperature during fermentation to be able to “stop it” at the right point and leave that sugary residue that is the wines signature trait and carries with it the aromas of fresh fruit. Not only that, before being bottled, Moscato has to be micro-filtered and the bottles perfectly sterilised. Should the final container be contaminated by yeasts or bacteria, fermentation risks being restarted, ruining the result.
Wine of smiles
In China, where many labels change name in order to be comprehensible in the context of the local language, Moscato Marcarini is called “Wine of Smiles”. A name that fills us with pride, because it well reflects the emotions and meanings that we want to transmit with our bottle.
