Asti Spumante

We're at home in the kitchen, making tonight's dinner and sipping wine.  I probably shouldn't admit this but we're drinking Nando Asti, non-vintage of course.  I have no idea where the bottle came from.  Did we buy it?  Did someone give it to us?  I vaguely remember commercials from childhood for Asti Spumante but amazingly, I don't know that I've ever tried it.  This one is actually off-dry, with flavors of honey and over-ripe pears, a faint mintiness in the background, tiny bubbles and a light straw color which is slightly darker than your average non-vintage champagne.  At first sip the sweetness was startling but it sort of grows on you.  It feels more like a cocktail than a sparkling wine, perhaps it's the sugar.  I am partial to the occasional demi-sec, after cheese and in lieu of dessert, Clicquot and Schramsberg make nice ones but they are a bit more subtle than the Asti we are sipping at the moment.  It's a warm, sunny afternoon after a thunderstorm, with hummingbirds on the deck and elk scattered throughout the backyard.  Right now, this Asti is perfect.