CAUDRINA LA SELVATICA ASTI SPUMANTE DOCG

La Selvatica is the Dogliotti family’s Asti Spumante, made from a single vineyard near their winery. Asti is made very similarly to Moscato, but the fermentation is taken further, so the finished wine differs from Moscato d’Asti in that the alcohol is slightly higher (7%), the residual sweetness is lower, and there are more bubbles (since more sugar is consumed). Some people drink this as an off-dry aperitif; I love it with cookies or by itself after dinner. (Both of these wines are excellent with Thanksgiving desserts; they go very well with pumpkin pie and fruit pies, and the lower alcohol and sugar is welcome.) Dangerously addictive, you have been warned.

VINOUS 91 POINTS – “Bright straw-green. Very lively aromas and flavors of white peach, sage and mint. Dense and juicy, displaying an effusively bright personality on the lingering, creamy and floral finish. Knockout Asti of rare precision, balance and concentration. This wine is made with grapes grown in a 2.5-hectare vineyard planted in 1970; in my opinion, it is the best Asti of all.”