Gancia Moscato di Asti
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Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Gancia Moscato d'Asti DOCG is a bright golden yellow and gives off an aroma of a bouquet of peach, sage, and honey flowers. It is nicely balanced between sweetness, acidity and vivacity, with a good aftertaste. It goes perfectly with dried fruits and fruity desserts.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Gancia Moscato d'Asti is bright, aromatic, and layered. TASTING NOTES: This wine sports aromas and flavors of playful fruitiness and flowery accents. Just imbibe this one on the deck in the backyard. (Tasted: June 29, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
In 1850, the Gancia family founded their winery surrounded by beautiful vineyards in Canelli, Piedmont. It was there that Carlo Gancia produced the first Italian sparkling wine, applying the techniques he had learned in Champagne, France. By 1870, Gancia sparkling wine was well-established and became an official supplier to the Royal House of Savoy. A distinctive feature of the winery is the cellars--also called Underground Cathedrals for their incredibly beautiful architecture. Dug out of tufo soil, they maintain the cool steady temperatures perfect for making and storing wine.
It is said of Gancia, "Born in Italy, before Italy." The House of Gancia has existed before the country of Italy was formed and has grown over the past 170 years to become one of the most well-known and respected brands in Italy. Gancia sparkling wines are such a common part of family celebrations in Italy that the brand has come to symbolize the beauty and tradition of the Italian family.
Today, Gancia creates exceptional sparkling wines, vermouths, and liqueurs. Gancia is respected worldwide, having won multiple awards in Italy and beyond for their exceptional products.
While Muscat comes in a wide range of styles from dry to sweet, still to sparkling and even fortified, it's safe to say it is always alluringly aromatic and delightful. The two most important versions are the noble, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, making wines of considerable quality and Muscat of Alexandria, thought to be a progeny of the former. Somm Secret—Pliny the Elder wrote in the 13th century of a sweet, perfumed grape variety so attractive to bees that he referred to it as uva apiana, or “grape of the bees.” Most likely, he was describing Muscat.
Set upon a backdrop of the visually stunning Alps, the enchanting and rolling hills of Piedmont are the source of some of the country’s longest-lived and most sought-after red wines. Vineyards cover a great majority of the land area—especially in Barolo—with the most prized sites at the top hilltops or on south-facing slopes where sunlight exposure is maximized. Piedmont has a continental climate with hot, humid summers leading to cold winters and precipitation year-round. The reliable autumnal fog provides a cooling effect, especially beneficial for Nebbiolo, Piedmont’s most prestigious variety.
In fact, Nebbiolo is named exactly for the arrival of this pre-harvest fog (called “nebbia” in Italian), which prolongs cluster hang time and allows full phenolic balance and ripeness. Harvest of Nebbiolo is last among Piedmont's wine varieties, occurring sometime in October. This grape is responsible for the exalted Piedmont wines of Barbaresco and Barolo, known for their ageability, firm tannins and hallmark aromas of tar and roses. Nebbiolo wines, despite their pale hue, pack a pleasing punch of flavor and structure; the best examples can require about a decade’s wait before they become approachable. Barbaresco tends to be more elegant in style while Barolo is more powerful. Across the Tanaro River, the Roero region, and farther north, the regions of Gattinara and Ghemme, also produce excellent quality Nebbiolo.
Easy-going Barbera is the most planted grape in Piedmont, beloved for its trademark high acidity, low tannin and juicy red fruit. Dolcetto, Piedmont’s other important red grape, is usually ready within a couple of years of release.
White wines, while less ubiquitous here, should not be missed. Key Piedmont wine varieties include Arneis, Cortese, Timorasso, Erbaluce and the sweet, charming Muscat, responsible for the brilliantly recognizable, Moscato d'Asti.