Wino Wednesday – Ca’ Dei Mandorli Dei Giari, Moscato D’asti 2009

Wino Wednesday, a monthly feature on Food Gypsy where we select our favorite from the past month.  Our pick for May: Ca’ Dei Mandorli Dei Giari, Moscato D’asti 2009 

The Ca’ Dei Mandorli Dei Giari, Moscato D’asti 2009 ($14.95)  is one of those great, all round cheese wines, with a light, fresh fuzziness and juicy fragrance.  Hints of peach, and clementine and just a touch of tannin highlight this vintage hailing from Italy’s Peidmont region.  It is the very definition of ‘tiny bubbles’ made as a semi-sparkling ‘frizzante’ as opposed to a foaming spumante, the bubbles burst with favour against the pallet.

A light, fruity way to start or finish a meal, but not a solo drinking wine unless you like your wines on the sweet side. Which is why it’s my pick and not his, it was too sweet for Chef B, my man from Burgundy, he switched to beer.  Gypsy scorecard:  87/100. 

Pairs extraordinarily well with the sweet flavours:  Hawaiian style chicken, pastries, Tiramisu and of course cheese.  In fact, this is not the first time we’ve highlighted Ca’ Dei Mandorli Dei Giari, Moscato D’asti 2009, we saw it paired with a rangy Italian sheep’s cheese in our Italian Wine & Cheese feature.  It also moves well with Taneggio or the Pamigiano, which makes it a great wine to serve with a plate of bold cheeses to end a fine meal.

Another pairing for this light, low alcohol (5%) Moscato is chocolate, in particular, milk chocolate.  It’s effervescent enough to bounce joyfully with leftover Easter bunnies and bubbly Aero Bars after moving all of your stuff up and down a flight of stairs.

Don’t ask how I know this.