As the end of the semester draws near, I thought of doing something a little different to go out with a bang. For this week, I will be pairing two sweet wines: a sweet red and a sweet white. For the final week, I will be pairing two savory wines: a savory rose and a savory white. I will be calling these weeks the Week of Sweet and the Week of Savory.

The second wine of the Week of Sweet is the 2021 Risata and Moscato d’Asti composed of 100% Moscato Bianco. Moscato d’Asti wines are moscatos that are produced in the Asti province of Italy.

With an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 5.5%, notes of citrus, pear and apple arise in the medium-light body and medium-low acidity of this softly fizzy wine.

This wine also gives very subtle hints of honey and ginger, giving a very refreshing summer feel to the wine.

I paired this wine with strawberry ice cream and berry syrup. The strawberry ice cream is Breyer’s, and my fianceé made the berry syrup with strawberries, blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon.

If you are going to take anything from this, make sure to remember that, when pairing wine with dessert, the wine should always be a little sweeter than the dessert. If the wine is not sweeter than the dessert, it can cause the wine to taste bitter and the flavors to fall flat.

Usually, strawberry goes well with an off-dry rosé. However, I changed this to the Moscato because the berry syrup gives a slight bitterness that pairs perfectly with the minimal acidity of the wine.

For those who are not really interested in sweet wines, this pairing works especially well because the minimal sweetness of the wine is perfectly mitigated by the creamy strawberry ice cream.

To consume this wine at its best, I would recommend opening it while at room temperature and putting it in the fridge 15 minutes before serving.

Winery: Risata Wines

Varietal: Moscato Bianco

Vintage: 2021

Locations: Piemonte, Northern Italy

Price: $16–18

Pairing: Strawberry ice cream with a berry syrup

I would like to emphasize that this column is not a review; my purpose for writing this series is to provide as much information about a wine as I can so that you can find your niche.

If you would like to inquire about anything I have talked about in these columns or recommend wines for me to pair in the future email me at [email protected].

Drink up!