Asti DOCG
Asti is the controlled and guaranteed designation of origin (DOCG) for the white Moscato wines of southern Piedmont, Asti spumante and Moscato d'Asti; it has been a DOC since 1967 and a DOCG since 1993, covering 52 municipalities in the provinces of Asti, Cuneo and Alessandria.[1]
Origins
Carlo Gancia started his business in Chivasso in 1850, and in 1865 carried out his first experiments in sparkling-wine production modelled on Champagne, in the "underground cathedrals" of Canelli; the first order from abroad arrived in 1866.[2][3] The production rules link the technique to names such as Gancia, Martinotti and Marone.[1] On 17 December 1932, in the town hall of Asti, about thirty representatives of the industry founded the Consortium for the Protection of Moscato d'Asti and Asti Spumante, which was officially recognised in 1934; the production area then numbered 45 municipalities.[2][4]
The wines
Only white Moscato grapes are used. Asti spumante has a minimum total alcoholic strength of 11.5 per cent, with an actual alcohol content between 6 and 9.5; Moscato d'Asti, lighter and only lightly sparkling, ranges between 4.5 and 6.5.[1] Processing and bottling are permitted in the three provinces and in Pessione, part of Chieri, in the province of Turin.[1] Since 2023 Canelli, formerly a subzone, has become an independent designation covering 17 municipalities.[5]
The figures
In 2024 bottled production exceeded ninety million bottles, more than thirty-three million of which were Moscato d'Asti.[6] In 2025 sales fell to about 75 million bottles: Asti spumante accounted for 49.3 million, with the United States declining sharply but still the leading foreign market, while Moscato d'Asti reached 25 million, with China on the rise.[7]
Sources
- Ministero dell'agricoltura, Catalogo nazionale delle varietà di vite
- Associazione Astigiani
- WineNews — 24 September 2020
- Beverfood — 27 February 2017
- Fondazione Qualivita —
- ANSA — 11 January 2025
- Gambero Rosso — 10 March 2026