Sweet wines have gotten a very bad rap over the years with wine drinkers.  With the likes of Wine Zinfandel, Riesling from Washington and cheap wines like MD 20/20, if you even mention that a wine is sweet, the average consumer scoffs at the wine.  

This is both very unfortunate and also slightly amusing.  It is unfortunate because there are so many amazing wines that just happen to be sweet.  German Riesling, French Sauternes and Hungarian Tokaij just to name a few.  It is also amusing because almost all of the mainstream wines that the average wine drinker consumes is actually on the sweet side for the style of wine.  Wine Brands understand that the American palate loves sweet things, so they tend to make their wines on the sweet side.  Yet God forbid you try and sell them a wine that is actually supposed to be sweet!

Another type of wine that just happens to be sweet is Moscato d'Asti.  Moscato has been bastardized by the likes of Barefoot and their "pink Moscato" and other mass produced Moscato.  However, Moscato d'Asti is a slightly sweet, slightly sparkling(frizzante) white wine from the region of Asti in Italy.  These wines are nothing like the mass-produced wines from California.  They are of excellent quality and rated as highly as many of the big reds from Italy.

One example is the Saracco Moscato d'Asti.  I had the pleasure of drinking this last night and it is truly delicious!  This is one of the highest rated Moscato's with a 95-point rating from Wine Enthusiast and it is under $15!!  Not only is this a perfect dessert wine or after dinner drink, but it is also the perfect wine to pair with your spicy Asian dishes or taco Tuesday!

Please set aside your misconceptions of sweet wine and give a Moscato a try!

 Saracco Moscato d'Asti 2021 - 750ml

-Patrick Mulrooney