Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Felice Moscato d'Asti 2018
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Felice is an extremely pleasant Moscato d'Asti, sweet but refreshing. Its moderate alcohol content and its elegant effervescence make it particularly suitable for any convivial and holiday occasion. It is great as an aperitif or cocktail wine. Typically considered dessert wine, this Moscato is also perfectly combined with aged cheeses.
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Apricot, wild herb and spring-blossom aromas lead the nose on this fragrant dessert sparkler. It’s silky and delicious, doling out ripe apricot, orange zest, sage and mineral alongside tangy acidity that brightens the rich flavors. A softly foaming perlage lends finesse.
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The Marchesi Incisa della Rochetta Family has roots over 1000 years in Piemonte area. Involved in wine growing and vineyards for the last several centuries, their first cousins famously moved down the road to Tuscany to found and promote Sassacaia wines. The Piemonte clan stayed true to the roots of producing indigenous grapes of Barbera, Grignolino, Moscato d'Asti and Arneis, as well as a rich history with International varietals Pinot Noir & Merlot. Leopoldo Incisa was one of the first wine scientists in the late 1850’s who brought Pinot Noir vines from Burgundy to Piedmont and began to cultivate them on the hillside of his Rocchetta Tanaro vineyards.
While Muscat comes in a wide range of styles from dry to sweet, still to sparkling and even fortified, it's safe to say it is always alluringly aromatic and delightful. The two most important versions are the noble, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, making wines of considerable quality and Muscat of Alexandria, thought to be a progeny of the former. Somm Secret—Pliny the Elder wrote in the 13th century of a sweet, perfumed grape variety so attractive to bees that he referred to it as uva apiana, or “grape of the bees.” Most likely, he was describing Muscat.
Recognized as the source of the best Barbera in all of Italy, Asti is a province (as well as major city) in Piedmont, consisting of a gentle, rolling landscape with vineyards, farmland and forests alternating throughout.
Barbera d’Asti can be made in an array of styles from relatively straightforward, fruity and ready for consumption early, to the more concentrated, oak aged version with an ability to cellar impressively for 10-15 years and beyond. Some of the very best sites for Barbera in Asti are concentrated in the subzone of Nizza Monferrato. Other red varieties grown here include Freisa, Grignolino and Dolcetto, which can be bottled varietally or blended into Barbera.
Historically consumers commonly associated the Asti region with Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, both playful, aromatic, sparkling wines made from the Muscat grape. Asti Spumante is less sweet, fully fizzy and more alcoholic (yet still clocking in at only around 9% alcohol) while Moscato d’Asti is sweeter, gently sparkling (“frizzante”) and closer to 5 or 6% alcohol. Each is produced in stainless steel tanks to preserve the fresh and fruity flavors of the grape, often including peach, apricot, lychee and rose petal. Asti is also the spot for the pink-hued Brachetto d'Acqui, a slightly sparkling wine ready to charm with its raspberry and rose flavors and aromas.