Muscat

Muscat is an aromatic grape which leads to the production of excellent dessert wines and interesting dry whites. Fresh or aged, natural or fortified the dessert Muscat wines are appreciated by experienced and young palates alike. It is the world’s oldest known grape variety, and probably originated in Greece, where it is still cultivated today. Muscat of Samos is one of the world’s top dessert wines.

The name may have derived from the sultanate of Muscat in the Arabian Peninsula. A Roman soldier or Phoenician trader may have brought it through Italy into Roman France. Muscat was officially introduced into Australia in the Busby Collection of 1832 and many early vine cuttings found their way into Australia via South Africa. The Americas received Muscat wines with its early Spanish and Italian immigrants.

Muscat is a wide family of grapes, the oldest and noblest of which is Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. Petit grains means small berries, and this is one of the reasons the resulting wine is so aromatic and complex. Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is responsible for the softly sparkling low alcohol Moscato d’Asti and Asti (formerly Asti Spumanti) from Piedmont, a delicate, floral dessert wine from the Venetian hills, and the very sweet, intense Moscato de Pantelleria from the archipelago of the same name off the shores of Sicily (a passito version is also made here, which is even more intensely concentrated and sweet as a result of being made with pressed dried, or raisinated berries).

This variety of Muscat is also found in what many consider the world’s most elegant sweet fortified version, the southern Rhone’s Muscat de Beaumes de Venise. In Alsace it is one of the “noble four”. Picked at harvest time, these wines are grapey, dry, and clean. The late harvest versions, however, have one of the most exotic flavors in the world. In California it is known as Orange Muscat, where it is generally produced in a sweet, dessert style, and is responsible for one of the world’s famous dessert wines, Vin de Constance from Klein Constantia in South Africa where it goes under the name of Muskadel. The famous liqueur Muscats of Australia (brown Muscat) and the recently upgraded Muscat of Samos from Greece also demonstrate the range of this varietal.

Portugal’s Moscatel de Setubal is made with Muscat of Alexandria, a less interesting version of the grape. Chile distills most of its Muscat of Alexandria into the national spirit, Pisco. Most of the dry aromatic wines of the same name in Alsace are made with Muscat Ottonel, the palest of the Muscats.

Muscat: aromatic, floral(orange blossoms), grapey, honey, toasted almond, dry to sweet, still, sparkling, or fortified.

Muscat: Piedmont, Veneto, Sicily, Rhone, Alsace, Napa Valley, Central Valley, Constantia, Rutherglen, Island of Samos, Setubal

Best

Klein Constantia Vin de Constance, Constantia (South Africa)

Muscat of Samos Nectar, Samos Co-op, Samos (Greece)

Pellegrino Moscato di Pantelleria Passito, Sicily (Italy)

Passito de Pantelleria Solidea D’Ancona, Sicily (Italy)

Vignalta Colli Euganei Moscato, Veneto (Italy)

Domaine de Durban Muscat Beaumes de Venise, Rhone (France)

Domaine Jean-Pierre Dirler Muscat Grand Cru Spiegel, Alsace (France)

La Sirena Moscato Azul, Napa Valley, California (USA)

Best Value

Quady Essensia, Madera, California (USA)

Moscato d’Asti “La Spinetta”, Georgio Rivetti, Piedmont (Italy)

Brown Brothers Very Old Liqueur Muscat, Rutherglen (Australia)

Stanton & Killeen Special Old Liqueur Muscat, Rutherglen (Australia)