Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti DOCG, 2022, 375ml, Italy

100% Muscat Bianco from the hillsides of Asti and Cuneo near the town of Canelli. Exuberant aromas of tropical fruit and honeysuckle blossoms mark this fresh, lightly sparkling wine. Calcium-rich chalky soils produce the most fragrant Moscato Bianco grapes. Once harvested, the handpicked grapes are placed in pneumatic presses and once extracted, the must immediately lowered to a temperature of zero degrees centigrade (32 F) to prevent the onset of the alcoholic fermentation. The must is kept in this fashion until just before bottling, at which point the temperature is allowed to rise to 18 degrees centigrade (65 F) and the top of the tank is opened. A slow fermentation provoked by natural yeasts then ensues which is allowed to progress until the wine reaches an alcohol level of 5.5 percent and is then stopped by a sterile filtration which removes any remaining live yeasts. Residual sugar is adjusted to 11 percent by the addition of unfermented must of the moscato grape. The wine is then fined, filtered and immediately bottled. This technique preserves the characteristically aromatic, sweet fruit fragrance of the grape unique to Moscato Bianco.