Definition: asti spumante

The Asti region also produces excellent red wines from the Barbera, Freisa, Grignolino and Nebbiolo grape varieties. The principle of closed tank production is to interrupt the fermentation process in order to obtain a wine with a low alcohol content (5 to 9% depending on the product), a high sugar content and which retains some of the carbon dioxide from fermentation. Although production has halved since 1960, these lightly dosed sparkling wines are, after champagne, the best known worldwide, where they are exported.
In 1994, Asti Spumante was elevated to DOCG status and renamed Asti. The term spumante, meaning sparkling, was removed from the Asti appellation.