Moscato: Rappers’ delight

When hip-hop artists fell out with the makers of Cristal champagne several years ago, many started rapping about Moscato instead, said Eric Pfanner in The New York Times. Sales of the slightly fizzy wine surged, but so has the production of Moscato that “tastes nothing like the original”—Moscato d’Asti, from Italy’s Piedmont region. The best Moscato is “irresistibly sweet,” yet that sweetness is accompanied by “a bracing freshness.”

2012 Paolo Saracco ($13). “Energetic and lively, this is a quintessentially refreshing Moscato.”

2011 Vigna Vecchia, Ca d’Gal ($25). This “rich, complex” Moscato d’Asti “somehow manages to avoid any impression of sweetness.”

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2012 Bera Vittorio e Figli ($20). A “mouthwatering” rendition, with “fragrant fruit flavors” and “interesting herbal notes.”