The 2014 Moscato del Molise Apianae (packaged in a 500-milliliter bottle) offers enormous value in the dessert wine category that is never cheap. This is a precious wine made with Moscato grapes that have been left to dry on the vines. The wine opens to a deep golden color with copper highlights. The generous aromas include fragrant honey, dried jasmine and candied orange peel. The wine is viscous and rich on the finish. Only 8,000 bottles were made.

Sweet, compelling and unique, the 2012 Moscato del Molise Apianae (500 ml) will appeal to those who love the offbeat tastes of Italian dessert wine. This sweet Moscato from Molise stands alone thanks to the distinctive aromas of candied fruit, almond and grilled herb it so generously offers on the bouquet. The wine is extra soft and supple in texture with rich fruit flavors that carry it forward. The finish is crisp in terms of acidity and very sweet with residual sugar.

The 2010 Moscato del Molise Apianae (500 ml) is a gorgeous wine with a clean approach and bright fruit flavors. This distinctive dessert wine offers candied orange peel, pineapple, apricot and blanched almond. But this sweet wine also offers a specific herbal quality that sets it apart from its peers. This is not an obvious dessert wine. In fact, the complexity of its aromas come as a very happy surprise.

Di Majo Norante's Moscato Reale Apianae is often one of the most compelling sweet wines in Italy, as it is again in 2009. Tangerine blossoms, orange peel, flowers, mint and minerals are just some of the nuances that flow from this elegant, refined wine. The Apinae was aged in neutral oak and carries just 94 grams of residual sugar, making it a moderately sweet wine that doesn't tire the palate. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2016. A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

Apianae opens with a pretty golden color and delivers loads of beautiful, sweet flavors at an attractively low price. Orange zest, dried apricot and butterscotch are evident components of the bouquet. ——M.L.(12/31/2011)—— 91