# Espumante Aurora Moscatel Branco (NV)

- **Producer:** Cooperativa Vinícola Aurora
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** sparkling
- **Grapes:** Moscato Bianco, Moscato Giallo
- **Region:** Serra Gaúcha, Brazil
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 7.5%
- **Average price:** €8
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now
- **Serving temperature:** 4–6 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** grape, blossom, peach, apricot, rose, elderflower

## About this wine

Cooperativa Vinícola Aurora, founded in 1931 by 16 small-scale grape growers in Bento Gonçalves, has grown into Brazil's largest and most awarded cooperative winery, supporting over 1,100 family members. Located in the high-altitude, basaltic clay-limestone soils of Serra Gaúcha, this wine represents one of the best value-to-quality sweet sparkling wines in the Southern Hemisphere, celebrated for its vibrant primary fruit and refreshing balance.

## Interesting facts

- It is the most awarded wine in Cooperativa Aurora's history, boasting over 120 national and international medals.
- Founded in 1931 by 16 families, Cooperativa Vinícola Aurora now supports over 1,100 grape-growing families.
- Made using the Asti method, where fermentation is stopped by cold shock to retain natural grape sweetness.

## Food pairing

This sweet sparkling wine thrives on two pairing fronts: matching the sweetness of desserts so the wine doesn't taste bitter, and contrasting rich, salty, or savory dishes. The high acidity cuts through the richness of creamy desserts and blue cheeses, while the low alcohol and effervescence cleanse the palate.

## Wine making process

Crafted using the Asti Method, the must undergoes a single-phase fermentation in pressurized stainless steel autoclaves. The fermentation is stopped abruptly by dropping the temperature to near 0°C, which halts yeast activity, leaving high natural residual sugar (~73.6 g/L) and keeping the alcohol level at a low 7.5% ABV. The wine is unoaked, cold-stabilized, filtered, and bottled immediately to preserve its youthful, primary aromas.