Not everyone is made of money at Christmas, so for a bit of fun fizz on the day, or at a party, Martini Asti is very welcome
“Try a taste of Martini, the most beautiful drink in the world.†Growing up in the 1970s I used to hear that refrain coming out the telly a lot, especially at Christmas.
I used to gaze at the beautiful people waving their drinks glasses at the camera in front of a sun-kissed yacht (a bit like lifestyle bloggers/influencers today) and yearn for that good life.
Today you don’t see Martini ads on the telly anymore but it’s still around. You can get a fizzy version of the drink of the old in crowd called Martini Asti, and at just £6 a bottle it’s a fairly cheap way to transport yourself if not to the Cote d’Azur then at least a sunnier situation.
It’s made from the Moscato Bianco grape in the Asti region of Piemont in Italy. The result is quite sweet, certainly sweeter than most fizzes, and it is low in alcohol at 7.5%. It’s a DOCG wine and fragrant, peachy and generally fruity.
That sweetness actually makes it a very decent drink to have with spicy food, there’s something about chili that partners well with sweet drinks, which is why the sweeter Indian lagers are so popular in Indian restaurants.
It also means it goes well with cakes for a bit of a naughty afternoon tea. It goes especially well with that great Italian Xmas treat Panettone. The light sugary sponginess of Panettone, with its small taste bombs of fruit, mimics the light mousse and fruitiness of the Asti.
You can get some great deals on it in the big supermarkets, Tesco had it very cheap recently, so get in a few for drinking with friends around the big day and save your big fizzes for the family.
Well, that’s what I do and no one’s complained yet.