Speaking of Moscato d’Asti (see last week’s article for a deep dive into that topic, including a look at how stupid I can be), I thought it worth mentioning a topic that came up during that same media trip to the rolling hills of Piedmonte’s Moscato bianco growing region: Asti is unleashing two brand new DOCG wines onto the market.

Being DOCGs, these are to be just as regulated as the strictly mandated Moscato d’Asti DOCG, which is good news for Moscato lovers looking for something different (and, presumably, for the Italians looking for work enforcing the regulations!). Like Moscato d’Asti, the new DOCGs are made from 100 percent Moscato Bianco grapes grown in the region, but don’t require Moscato dAsti’s vintage declaration. Confusingly (for me, anyway), neither mentions the grape in its DOCG name. Anyway, here’s the run-down of the new categories, both of which offer a broader stylistic range of Asti Moscato…

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
 
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2015 Ferraton Pere & Fils Saint-Joseph La Source (Rhone): Bacon, raspberries, pepper, and silk. And yeah, those work out just fine together. $32 B+
• NV Besserat de Bellefon Cuvee des Moines Brut Rose (Champagne): Carrying a rather serious demeanor, considering how downright adorable those cherries and roses are. $50 A-
• 2017 Tasca d’Almerita Tenuta Regaleali Catarratto Antisa (Sicily): Kinda nuts – as in, the kind of nuts that you Cannot. Stop. EATING! $22 B+
• 2010 La Antigua Classico Reserva (Rioja): A well-tended garden – earthy, full of floral action, and simply lovely to take in. $25 B+
• 2016 Vega Sicilia Oremus ‘Mandolas’ Tokaj Dry (Tokaj-Hegyalja): Consider yourself a thief for being able to nab this kind of depth, vibrancy, & sexiness for this kind of cash outlay. 28 A-
• 2015 Hickinbotham ‘The Peake’ Cabernet Sauvignon (McLaren Vale): Masterful brushstrokes warning – you’ll lose track of time just taking in the violets, spice, and eucalyptus of this impeccable little painting. $150 A
• 2015 The Hess Collection Allomi Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Wellllllll, hellllooooooo there, you sexy beast you! $27 B+
• 2011 Qupe Maxtap Cuvee Red (Central Coast): Still performing, and while the sound is a bit cacophonous, it’s all joyous noise. $26 B+
• 2015 Windvane Pinot Noir (Carneros): That time when Carneros Pinot decided to get all Large-and-In-Charge on us. $45 A-
• 2014 Gundlach-Bundschu Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma Valley): As usual, showing nary a wrinkle on its gorgeous face. $45 A-

About ten minutes or so into Walter Speller‘s presentation on Moscato d’Asti, I realized that I was some kind of idiot.

Speller’s masterclass was part of a presentation given to media guests gathered at the bucolic Castello Gancia, smack dab in the heart of Asti and a focal point of the area’s recent UNESCO designation. It’s the kind of place that you imagine in your dreams of what Piemonte would be like (17th century architecture sitting atop gorgeous rolling hills… that sort of thing).

Anyway, it only took me about ten minutes into that masterclass for the cold water of facts to jolt me out of any residual dreamlike morning Piemonte trance into the realization that just about everything that I thought I’d known about Asti’s boisterous vinous calling card was, basically, absolute wrong. I’m betting that most of you reading this have gotten it wrong, too; the simple truth is that the simple pleasures of Moscato d’Asti – hands-down one of the dead easiest wines to enjoy – belie complexities that are pretty friggin’ serious.

I’m not talking about Moscato’s complexity in the nose, either; though a good argument could be made that, in terms of volume of aromatic compounds, Moscato Bianco is one of the most aromatically complex grape varieties in the world. But I am talking about… well, just about everything else that goes into making a finished, drinkable Moscato d’Asti product…

Late last year, I had the pleasure (once again) of pretending to be an all-growed-up wine pro judging alongside some very notable palates at the 38th annual San Francisco International Wine Competition.

Judging the SFIWC almost always ends up being one of my favorite events of the entire year, and despite quite a bit of behind-the-scenes personnel changes, the competition didn’t skip a beat; I had a blast, with the only downer being the inundation of the city streets by the ominous smoke from the nearby Camp Fire (terribly, California’s deadliest and most destructive to date).

The results of the 2018 SFIWC have been announced, so I am officially allowed to share them with you. Here are some thoughts on the Best In Show winners, which are determined after going through 1) two days of normal judging panels, 2) “super tastings” of judges from multiple panels (meant to whittle down the field of wines deemed excellent enough to potentially vie for Best In Show ), and finally 3) a lively and spirited sweepstakes round in which the the most awarded wines are pitted against one another…