Nose
A lovely perfume of freshly crushed grapes and sherbet.
Palate
On the palate, it is perfectly balanced with soft, sweet fruit, a hint of Turkish delight and lively, fresh acidity.
Growing Conditions
Formerly owned by the Lombardini family (proprietors of La
Giustiniana in Gavi), Contero is now owned by the Marenco family, who are Moscato and Brachetto specialists in Strevi. This 11 hectare estate remains one of the best producers of invigoratingly delicious Moscato d'Asti and Brachetto d'Acqui. The ripest and best Moscato grapes are used for Moscato d'Asti rather than Asti.
The Val Contero vineyards are situated in a perfect amphitheatre
in Strevi, the heart of one of the best zones for Moscato in Piemonte. The vineyards are superbly tended and produce fruit of stunning quality. The vines are Guyot trained with 4,800 vines planted per hectare. They are planted on steep tufaceous-marl hills with sandstone layers.
2020 was an excellent vintage. Winter was cold with some snow. Bud break took place at the end of March and summer was hot with some rain.
Harvest
Grapes were hand harvested in wooden boxes. Yields were not abundant, 9 tonnes per hectare on average. The quality of the grapes was outstanding.
Bottling
Screwcap
Winemaking
Grapes were gently pressed and fermented at low temperatures to maximize the fragrance. During fermentation the must was filtered several times. The wine was drawn from the vat with an alcohol content of 5.5%, then stabilized before being bottled under pressure to maintain a slight sparkle.
Appearance
This Moscato d'Asti is delicately sparkling.