Tomorrow is National Moscato Day and I'm so excited to tell you about this wine because its right up my wine alley - sweet, fresh, and fruity. I’m giving a toast to this delicious wine by telling you the story behind Moscato and why you should buy a couple of bottles NOW!
Moscato or Muscat (as the French call it) is like the mother of wines - it’s the oldest and most versatile variety, originating from Piedmont, Italy. Moscato is characterized as fresh, light-bodied, fruity, sweet, and very aromatic. As well, it has a low alcohol content and is comparable to a dessert or juice. What’s makes Moscato so special is that the wine grape comes in different colours: white, yellow, pink, and black. Most commonly, Moscato is a white wine variety. Broadly, this wine comes in a variety of styles including sparkling, semi-sparkling, still, pink, red/black, and dessert. Here are differences between the styles:
The sparklings, still, and dessert style use the white Moscato grape and vary in flavours from lemon to orange blossom to pear. There are differences in texture with each style - sparkling being minerally, still being drier, and dessert being decadent.
The pink Moscato has more hints of strawberry and gives a more appealing look.
The red/black variety is less known but shows a different side of Moscato with raspberry, violets, and black tea notes.
As this delicious wine is the mother of wines, it makes for a lovely Mother’s day gift. It’s also a crowd-pleaser, so buy a couple of styles for your next gathering.
When you’re having Moscato with a meal, it’s best paired with Asian cuisines, specifically dishes with lighter foods and an ounce of greasiness and sweetness. Some great entreés would be pad thai and the lemongrass chicken vermicelli bowl. Seafood like flaky fish, prawns, and crab is always a great choice too. For dessert, have sweet tropical fruits like mangos or pineapples, which will complement the fruity wine notes.
I hope you've enjoyed my read on Moscato. If I’ve convinced you to buy it, here are some of my product recommendations:
1. Ruffino Moscato D’asti (semi-sparkling) - $14.99 (Italy)
Medium-bodied, pleasant, and very sweet. It contains tree fruit and earthy notes like peach, apple, minerals, and honey with hints of citrus and age. The sweetness level is 10.
2. Jacobs Creek Moscato Rose (pink) - $11.99 (Australia)
Raspberry and strawberry notes with hints of pear. Light, refreshing, and sweet wine. The sweetness level is 7.
3. Barefoot Moscato (white) – $9.99 (California, USA)
Very standard white Moscato. More on the lighter and crisp side, carrying notes of peach, apricots, and citrus. The sweetness level is 2.
4. Bottega Mocato Petalo Il Vino Dell’Amore (sparkling) - $17.99 (Italy)
Crisp, elegant, and juicy. Notes of roses and other flowers with hints of caramel. The sweetness level is 5.