that hit the export market (to both the United States as well as the United Kingdom) garnered a poor reputation for being what wine expert Karen MacNeil describes as "a noxiously sweet poor man's Champagne." Remnants of this reputation remained attached to the name Asti Spumante for much of the 20th century. When the wine was promoted to DOCG status in 1993, producers sought to distinguish themselves from that reputation and dropped the use of Spumante altogether in favor of the shortened Asti name. Along with the name change came a change in style, with several producers creating more modern styles of Asti that are less sweet and have more ripe fruit flavors. Production zone Asti is produced in the southeastern region of Piedmont where the large concentration of rolling hills provides ample space for vineyard plantings. The DOCG production zone is located mostly in the Province of Asti and partly within the provinces of Cuneo and Alessandria. Original definition The area was first defined in 1932 as comprising the following 45 communes: In Asti: Asti, Bubbio, Calamandrana, Calosso, Canelli, Cassinasco, Castagnole delle Lanze, Castel Boglione, Castel Rocchero, Castelnuovo Belbo, Cessole, Coazzolo, Costigliole d'Asti, Fontanile, Incisa Scapaccino, Loazzolo, Maranzana, Moasca, Mombaruzzo, Monastero Bormida, Montabone, Nizza Monferrato, Quaranti, San Marzano Oliveto, Sessame and Vesime. In Cuneo: Camo, Castiglione Tinella, Cossano Belbo, Mango, Neive, Neviglie, Rocchetta Belbo, Santo Stefano Belbo, Treiso and Trezzo Tinella. In Alessandria: Acqui Terme, Alice Bel Colle, Bistagno, Cassine, Castelletto Molina, Grognardo, Ricaldone, Strevi, Terzo and Visone. The province of Cuneo is more mountainous than the other provinces and has fewer vineyards that are concentrated closer to the Po Valley. The Monferrato Hills that extend from the Po southward towards the Apennines covers much of the vineyard area in the Asti and Alessandria area with the name Monferrato sometimes appearing on bottles of Asti. Expansion In 1967 the zone was extended to include the communes of Rocchetta Palafea in Asti, Alba, Santa Vittoria d'Alba and Serralunga d'Alba in Cuneo. Since 1976 production of the wine has additionally been permitted in the communes of Castino and Perletto in Cuneo as well as San Giorgio Scarampi in Asti. DOCG regulations and production Under Italian wine laws, all Asti DOCG wine must be 100% made from the Moscato Bianco grape with the grapes harvested to a yield no greater than 10 tonnes/hectare. The finished wine must be fermented to a minimum