0:00 Introduction
0:33 Episode Overview and First Thoughts on Moscato d’Asti
14:28 Topic: WTF is Moscato d’Asti?
22:56 Moscato d’Ast Wines We Chose for This Episode
30:11 2025 Kirkland Signature Moscato d’Asti Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review
38:40 2024 Saracco Moscato d'Asti Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review
45:06 The Test: Did we nail the taste profiles expected from Moscato d’Asti?
46:38 What is the verdict on Moscato d’Asti?
47:52 Wine in the news this week: Aluminum cans offer viable alternative to glass for wine packaging, study find
51:08 Listener Shoutouts
53:01 Wines coming up in future episodes in case you want to drink along with us
53:24 Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is Moscato d'Asti?
A. Moscato d'Asti is a lightly sparkling, low-alcohol sweet white wine from Piedmont, Italy. It is made from Moscato Bianco and has DOCG status, which is Italy's top classification. In our tasting, both bottles were easy to find, very affordable, and clearly built for people who want something festive rather than serious and dry.
Q. What does Moscato d'Asti taste like?
A. It tastes like fruit juice, dessert, and perfume in the best possible way. We got pear, peach, apple juice, honey, citrus, orange blossom, lychee, and a little gummy-bear character. The Kirkland bottle leaned more toward peach, pear, and apple juice, while the Saracco showed more lemon, orange blossom, lemon square, lemon curd, and a slightly brighter edge.
Q. How sweet is Moscato d'Asti?
A. Very sweet. The Kirkland bottle had 133 grams of sugar per liter, and the Saracco was listed at 145 grams per liter. That sounds intense, and it is, but the low alcohol, tiny bubbles, and cool serving temperature keep it from feeling like straight syrup. If you drink sweet wine, it feels fun. If you do not, it will feel like a lot.
Q. Should you chill Moscato d'Asti?
A. Yes, absolutely. This is a wine that wants to be fridge-cold or even colder. When it warms up, the sweetness gets heavier and more syrupy. Joe and Carmela both kept coming back to the idea that this is the kind of wine you want very cold, almost like a dessert drink or a sparkling aperitif.
Q. What is the difference between Moscato d'Asti and Asti Spumante?
A. Moscato d'Asti is usually lower in alcohol and only lightly sparkling, while Asti Spumante is a more fully sparkling, more classic bubbly style. They come from the same broad area and the same grape family, but they do not drink the same. If you want something softer, sweeter, and less aggressively bubbly, Moscato d'Asti is the better match.
Q. What food pairs well with Moscato d'Asti?
A. Think dessert first: panettone, lemon sorbet, fruit tarts, sherbet, and other sweet finish-the-meal foods. It can also work with spicy foods because the sweetness cools the heat, so Thai food or pad Thai are fair game. We liked the idea of using it as the dessert itself, not just a drink beside dessert.
Q. Is Moscato d'Asti worth buying?
A. If you like sweet wine, yes, especially for celebrations or dessert parties. We did not rate either bottle as a buy by our scale, but both were charming, enjoyable, and very much what they were supposed to be. The Kirkland bottle was the better value, while the Saracco showed a little more brightness and complexity. If sweet wine is your thing, this category is worth exploring.
Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1880401/fan_mail/new)
Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!
Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/
Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/
Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com (mailto:joe@thewinepairpodcast.com)