Stella Rosa Moscato D'Asti

By Chris and Sherry Hardie

The best sweet wines are not the result of adding sugar to the bottle. To achieve the right balance of sweetness that is not cloying, a winemaker must balance high acidity with the residual sugar or the result is a wine that tastes like flavored pancake syrup.

Balance is certainly the case with this Italian white from the Asti region. It's a frizzante wine that results from natural carbonation but with less fizz than champagne.

The wine displays a floral bouquet and captures the traditional muscat flavors of peach and apricot, as well as other fruits. It's low in alcohol (5.5 percent), making it a perfect match for fresh fruit, a brunch or just by itself.

Sherry: "Sweet pear, apple and white grape flavor with light carbonation." 3-1/2 stars

Chris: "Honey and pear flavors with notes of cotton candy." 3-1/2 stars

Available locally for about $10.

Coming next week: Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc

Bonterra Viognier 2007

By Chris and Sherry Hardie

Viognier "vee-on-yay" is the white wine version of pinot noir. The grapes are difficult to grow and a challenge for winemakers, but the end result makes the effort worthwhile.

The grape was close to extinction in the 1960s, with fewer than 35 acres in France, but has enjoyed a comeback, particularly in California, where this wine comes from.

Bonterra makes organic wines and uses natural practices such as free-ranging chickens to eat bugs, grazing sheep to trim the grass as well as using cover crops and raising honey bees.

This vintage also features a splash of marsanne and roussanne grapes. Orchard fruit aromas of peach and honeysuckle give way to apricot and citrus flavors laced with just a hint of vanilla.

Sherry: "Citrus with elements of lime, grapefruit and pineapple." 2-1/2 stars

Chris: "Apricot and pineapple flavors with zesty citrus." 3 stars Available locally for about $13.

Coming next week: Il Conte d'Alba Moscato d'Asti