Foodsday Tuesday: Summer Wine

When the weather turns warm (which it looks like it finally might!), I love a nice, light, dessert wine. My personal favorite (and therefore the one I'll talk about here) is moscato d'asti. The "asti" part means it's a sparkling wine, so even though it's a lower alcoholic concentration by volume than most wines (usually no more than 7.5%), the alcohol will hit your system a little quicker if you're drinking on an empty stomach. Pair the wine with cheese (sweet or sharp, depending on what you like to mix with sweet wines), fresh fruit, or a sweet-tart dessert. (Do not, do not, pair it with something heavy like chocolate or a creme brulee.)

Moscato d'asti, I've discovered, is a wine that even wine-haters can enjoy. That's probably because it doesn't look or taste much like wine. Its color can range from light gold to a deeper peach, its flavor is laced with honey and, depending on the house, berries, citrus, or peach. The light fruity flavor is partially explained by the muscat grapes that are used to make the wine; on the whole, they're sweeter and lighter-tasting than other grapes that are fermented for spirits.

Like most light wines, moscato d'asti is best drunk within two years of its vintage. (Anything older than 2004 could already be too old. Anything older than 2002 will taste like vinegar, for sure.) Many PA Wine and Spirits Shoppes carry at least one variety of moscato d'asti, but I can't currently find any bottles on their website. I'd recommend Pio Cesare or Beri, but that's mostly because I've bought both in the city. If you're especially enamored of any particular house, put it in the comments!