Wilmington Magazine Jan-Feb 2023

libations
Red wine grapes for
ice wine in winter
conditions and snow.
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Savor sweet dessert wines in wintertime
EVERY NOW AND THEN,
especially in the chill of
winter, a rich, sweet wine is
such an indulgence in flavor
and texture. The thought of
its opulent mouthfeel prompts reveries of
what I might serve alongside it, perhaps a
creamy blue cheese, maybe poached pears
and crème anglaise, or bread pudding.
Dessert wine is an experience, a mood
that just has to be savored. Gathering with
By ANN MARIE THORNTON
loved ones at the holidays and stretching
the evening out is just a natural time to
sip a sweet wine and revel in the moment.
Moscato d’Asti, a semi-sparkling, sweet
wine from the Piedmont of Italy known for
its captivating aromas of pear and peach,
is typically low in alcohol, just about
5.5%, whereas most wines are 12-15%,
making Moscato d’Asti a perfect aperitif
or dessert wine. Muscat Blanc is one of
the oldest grape varietals and planted
the world over, and it achieves such grace
and versatility in this DOCG region, the
most elite classification in Italy. Wellknown
Asti Spumante is drier with more
vigorous effervescence, whereas Moscato
is sweeter and just gently effervescent.
The 2021 Gianni Moscato d’Asti from
Giovine in Canelli, a town in the heart of
Asti, is pale, almost clear, and delightfully
petillant with bubbles embracing the
sides and gently rising from the glass.
With a cascade of pear and honeysuckle
aromas to make one swoon and a residual
sweetness of about 95 grams per liter,
this is a delicious way to open or close a
celebratory evening with a bit of asiago or
an almond cookie.
Mosacato d’Asti achieves its sweetness
from controlled fermentation in chilled,
pressurized tanks, notably, the Asti
method, also used for Prosecco. The
carbonation released naturally through
fermentation remains in the wine and
when it reaches an alcohol level of about
five percent and still has much of its
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