Asti and Moscato d'Asti

The production rules give little history. They describe a viticulture shaped by climate: in a continental region, growers took the steepest slopes to catch the most sun, so that a quarter of the registered vineyard is on slopes over 30% and 4% on slopes over 50%, which the rules call "heroic" viticulture. Asti was approved as a DOC by ministerial decree of 9 July 1967 and as a DOCG on 29 November 1993. The zone spans the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato hills that UNESCO inscribed as a World Heritage landscape in 2014.

The zone covers 51 communes in the provinces of Alessandria, Asti and Cuneo, across the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato. Its ground formed more than 12 million years ago, as the retreating sea left what is now the Po plain, and erosion has shaped it since. High hills dominate the south-west and fall away to the north and east.

The oldest soils, in the centre and west (Cuneo and part of Asti province), lie on the Cassinasco formation of the Serravallian, 13-11 million years old: sandstone with light, permeable sandy loams, often fractured, with medium active lime. The younger east, in Asti and Alessandria provinces, lies on the Sant'Agata marls, 10-5 million years old, with veins of gypsum; its silty loams are compact and hold water. Vineyards run from about 150 to 600 m: 45% at 200-300 m, 30% at 300-400 m and 17% above 400 m. They face mainly south in the west and south-east or south-west in the east.

The rules say the calcareous, clay or sandy matrices clearly shape the aromas of the grapes and wines, and they map four bands from west to east. Around Santo Stefano Belbo, Mango and Castiglione Tinella the wine is very intense and broad in aroma, of medium body and very fine. From Canelli eastwards, with Calosso and San Marzano Oliveto, it is fuller and well balanced. Between Rocchetta Palafea, Nizza Monferrato, Maranzana and Acqui Terme it is vigorous, rich and fat. In the far east, from Cassine and Strevi to Acqui Terme, the aroma is very fine and intense.

Asti, Asti metodo classico and Moscato d'Asti, including its late-harvest version, come from at least 97% Moscato Bianco, the rest from aromatic white grapes allowed in Piedmont. Asti is a fully sparkling wine. Moscato d'Asti is sweet and aromatic, with a total alcohol of at least 11% but only 4.5-6.5% actually fermented; the rest stays as grape sugar. It may show a light sparkle, with no more than 2.5 bar of pressure from its own fermentation. A rosé Asti is 70-90% Moscato Bianco and 10-30% Brachetto. Santa Vittoria d'Alba and Strevi are subzones with their own annexes; Canelli is a separate DOCG.