Which is appropriate?

[Sherelia]

I find myself not knowing which wine to offer with their Italian meal? Do I suggest one for dinner? Separate for dessert? Or does it depend on if your dinner has a creamy sauce, compared to just grilled/sauteed? I'm open for suggestions.

[Innkeeper]

Hi Sherelia, and welcome to the Wine Board. If you want a wine with both dinner and dessert you will need two wines. For dessert get an Asti Spumante and chill it. It needs to be served in Champagne flutes. If I was going to an Italian dinner and did not know what was being served, I would bring a Rosso di Montalcino (one costing $18-$20) after asking the proprietor if it was accessable. Sometimes they need a little aging and you don't want one of those for an upcoming dinner.

[sedhead]

innkeeper
How do you feel about Moscato D'Asti compared to a brand named asti spumante in terms of value and taste? Im thinking mainly of Martini & Rossi verses some of the Italian imports of Moscato. I think both these wines are under used as dessert wines.

[Innkeeper]

The Moscato is usually drier than the Asti. I prefer the former as an aperitif and the latter as a dessert wine.