A sweet—but not syrupy—wine makes a great mimosa alternative
This sweet Italian wine has an alcohol percentage capped at 5.5%, basically an italian grape soda pop.
Cupcake Vineyards Moscato d’Asti Piedmont, Italy
$13.59
5.5% alcohol
PLCB Item #4025
Sale price through April 28; regularly $15.59
Italian Moscato is basically an all-natural white grape soda pop. With a perfumed scent of fresh flowers, candy-like sweetness, and a vivid taste of ripe peaches and green grapes, Italian wines like this one have served as a gateway, introducing generations of Americans to the joys of wine. Back in the ’70s and ’80s , these wines were given extra carbonation before bottling and labeled as Asti Spumante. Today, moscatos are made all over the world, but the most authentic and succulent of these remain those labeled as Moscato d’Asti.
Moscato is the Italian name of muscat, an ancient family of grapes of Greek origin. Muscat grapes are so freakishly fragrant that you can smell their perfume while they’re still on the vine. This is due to unusually high levels of terpenes like citronellol, geraniol, and nerol, compounds found in the essential oils of roses, geraniums, and orange blossoms. Historically, muscats were mostly grown as table grapes or for raisins. However, they also produced a diverse range of syrupy sweet wines throughout Europe’s Mediterranean zones, often stabilized with the addition of distilled spirit. However, muscats did not come into their own until lighter, brighter carbonated versions emerged in the 19th century, as a specialty of the city of Asti in thePiedmont region, not far from Milan.
Italian Moscato d’Astis are always semi-sparkling wines that contain no more than 5.5% alcohol. Capping their alcohol guarantees that high levels of unfermented grape sugar will remain — as high or higher than the 110 grams per liter found in Coca-Cola. While many traditional Italian vintners still bottle their moscatos with driven corks, this American company puts theirs into a screw-capped bottle that makes it much easier to access their heady, fragrant wine. Try it as a dessert after dinner with fresh fruit, or as a mimosa alternative at brunch.
Also available at:
Joe Canal’s in Lawrenceville, $11.49
Canal’s Liquors in Pennsauken, $11.71
Kreston Wine & Spirits in Wilmington, Del., $11.89