I recall attending a New Year’s Eve party in my early 20s during which our host walked around at midnight filling guests’ flutes with celebratory toasts of “Champagne” or Asti Spumante. Now, the former wasn’t actually Champagne, just a cheaply made domestic Brut more suited to the budgets of people just entering the workforce. But those of us who liked our bubbly on the drier side preferred it to what we viewed as a sweet, simple Italian quaffer.

Fast forward a few decades, and I’m a loyal devotee of traditional-method sparkling wines including Champagne, Franciacorta and Méthode Cap Classique. But truth be told, I hadn’t thought about (or tasted) Asti Spumante in ages … until recently, that is, when I traveled to Piemonte to give Asti another chance.

If you’re unfamiliar with the wine or, like me, it’s been off your radar for eons, let me (re)introduce you to it. It’s made with Moscato Bianco grapes and fermented to a very restrained, day drinking-friendly 7 to 12.5 percent ABV. Since being promoted to Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) status in 1993, Asti officially goes only by its first name to distance itself from the mass-market stuff sold years ago.

Most Asti is made using the namesake method developed by inventor Federico Martinotti, where yeast and sugar are added to still wine in a closed stainless steel tank, trapping the carbon dioxide that’s eventually captured in the bottle. (The French enologist Eugène Chamat later refined and commercialized the technique, also used for Prosecco.)

Dogliotti 1870
Asti Spumante © Dogliotti 1870

While in Piemonte, I discovered Asti isn’t necessarily the sweet, one- note wine I remembered. Ten years ago, the DOCG started permitting styles from Brut Nature to sweet, although the drier styles still account for only a small part of the total production. Also available: Asti Rosé, brand-new as of this past March and quite lovely, presenting red fruit notes from the inclusion of Brachetto, a red variety falling out of favor that may have found its saving grace. Not only was Acquesi Asti Rosé gorgeous to behold, with floral appliqués all over the clear bottle, but it also showed delicate aromas of peach blossom, with strawberry and raspberry on the palate. What struck me as I tasted all of Asti’s iterations was the freshness and acidity on the palate and the bubbles, soft and creamy rather than sharp and aggressive.

We sipped Asti as an aperitif with crackers and cheese; it works especially well to cut through pungent bleu varieties and with (or as) dessert. Also a perfect palate scrubber for anything salty, it paired perfectly with an unusual crostini topped with hazelnut butter, chopped hazelnuts and anchovies I nibbled at Enoteca di Mango. More luscious expressions can easily counter the heat in spicy Indian curries or Thai stir-fries. The refreshing lemon notes and heady orange blossoms in the Dogliotti 1870 Asti Spumante I tasted could pair with any of them, I’m sure.

After weaving my way through the “Wine Cathedral” at Contratto, where the hand-excavated, UNESCO-recognized caves can hold as many as 1.5 million bottles, we ascended to the tasting room to sample some of it. Only one of a handful of wineries that still use the traditional method, Contratto ages its bottles around four years on the lees. (It also was the first producer to make vintage Italian sparkling wine.)

The 2020 Contratto De Miranda Asti was zesty and lively, with a palate of honey-drizzled brioche and wild sage. In between other pours, someone in our group asked our host to name her favorite wine. She told us she liked all wines, as long as they were well-made. This stayed with me, especially since I had mentally written off Asti so many years ago. Certainly the category has evolved and expanded, and maybe my palate has, too.