Originated in the land of popes, painters, and love, Muscat has been one of the greatest gifts to wine connoisseurs. This exquisite wine has been there for more than thousands of years, adding flavor and exuberance to the wine industry in total silence. Not many are acquainted with the faint but important powers that muscat wine or Moscato holds over our taste buds.
Made from a special variant of grape called Muscat, a native of France, Spain, and Italy, it gives a dry peachy taste to the drink. This special wine has acted as a base for many popular wine styles and categories. One of the most important factors that have swayed away wine lovers for ages is its high level of uniqueness.
What causes muscat wine to become so unique and distinct?
The Origin
The very genesis of this drink can reveal several unique properties that are rarely found in other cocktails worldwide. Muscat grapes, a popular member of the grape family, are believed to have originated in the Middle-East and later traveled to the shores of Southern Europe through means of trading and cultural spread.
This category of grape, having reached a developing wine-producing land of the time, called Greek, gained popularity at full throttle. In no time, neighboring countries such as Italy, Spain, and Southern France started producing Muscat wine, thus emerging as hubs for wine lovers from across continents.
Features that lead to a distinct taste of Muscat wine
Although a wide variety of Muscat wines exist around the world, there are special characteristics common to all the types that keep muscat wine high in demand all year long. Some of these characteristics are mentioned below:
Monoterpenes
Muscats are known for their sweet flavor and floral essence. Be it any class of muscat grapes, they always leave behind a peachy distinctness to the drink and create an edgy image. The muscat wine containing very high levels of monoterpenes leads to this unique taste that tends to add to the ‘grapeness’ of this fancy cocktail.
Dryness
Another distinct feature of the muscat wine is its dryness. Most dry wines have a weird after-taste, but this baby does not. The dryness caused by muscat wine improves its taste and further defines its flavor. The dry taste of muscat grapes also helps in exaggerating the sweetness and provide a long-lasting taste.
Several aromas
Not many wines come with varied aromas under a single category. Moscato is a kind drink that is prepared with several added aromas such as pear, mandarin orange, honeysuckle, Meyer lemon, and orange blossom.
Each of these flavors has extraordinary aromatic properties that increase the value of Muscat wine manifolds. They give the wine a unique identity and leave the consumer wanting more every time.
Low level of acidity
One of the best properties of Muscat wine is its low acid levels and alcoholism. This ensures a smooth experience for the drinker and adds to the highlight of the entire affair. This also makes the wine suitable for several occasions and moods.
Different styles of Muscat wine
In addition to several oral properties mentioned above, muscat wine also has a few chemical properties that help winemakers produce different styles of muscat wine and sell them globally. The most well-received styles are mentioned below.
Sparkling Muscat
The true flavor of muscat wine can be brought out only in Italy, its homeland. The country is immensely popular in serving the semi-sparkling or sparkling version of Moscato. The wine is made sure to have a guarantee of origin to serve the most authentic and perfect flavors to wine connoisseurs.
The most popular version of this sort is known to be greatly aromatic with a perfect proportion of sweetness and fizz. The sparkles are created within the bottle by adding or reducing bubbles.
Pink Moscato
This style of muscat wine works great with consumers mainly because of its physical properties as compared to the oral ones. The sharp pink color is added to the classic muscat wine by using a controlled amount of Merlot. This addition brings out a gorgeous pink color that attracts wine lovers in huge numbers.
Still Muscato
A still version of this wine does not sparkle and has a more rigid taste instead of being smooth. It is produced by using Blanc muscat and is usually produced in vineyards of Spain, Austria, and Southern France.
A popular feature of this style of muscat wine is its dryness, which is often interpreted as sweetness due to the added aromas. Due to strong aromas, the brain is easily tricked into studying the sweet flavor, which does not exist in reality.
Black Muscat
One of the rarest styles, this Muscat gives out a dark red color, which is often closer to black. The drink is produced by adding rose petals, black tea, and raspberries to the original portion of Muscat. This unique blend of ingredients and flavors is growing in popularity.
Instead of southern European countries, the highest producer of Black Muscat is The United States of America, which is expanding its market gradually.
Best foods to pair with Muscat wine
The best way to bring the maximum taste out of your wine is to pair it with the most complimenting dishes and snacks. For muscat wine, for instance, foods that are good at tackling immense sweetness should be chosen.
Asian or Indian light dishes can go well with any style of muscat wine. In addition to spicy food, roasted seafood could work well with Muscat as well.
Final Words
No doubt wines are considered the fanciest, tasteful, and satisfying drinks ever created. However, filtering even further brings us to the most exquisite piece of creation in the wine industry.
Muscat wine, as stated above, has combinations of properties because of which it stands out in every category. This fancy drink is second to none in taste, aroma, appearance, and class.
