Muscat (grape)

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Muscat
Grape (Vitis)
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and Muscat Noir showing the white and black-skinned color mutation of the variety
SpeciesVitis vinifera
White Muscat – early ripening "July" variety

The Muscat family of grapes includes over 200

wine production and as raisin and table grapes around the globe for many centuries. Their colors range from white (such as Muscat Ottonel), to yellow (Moscato Giallo), to pink (Moscato Rosa del Trentino) to near black (Muscat Hamburg). Muscat grapes and wines almost always have a pronounced floral aroma. The breadth and number of varieties of Muscat suggest that it is perhaps the oldest domesticated grape variety, and there are theories that most families within the Vitis vinifera grape variety are descended from the Muscat variety.[1]

Among the most notable members of the Muscat family are

vin doux naturels. In Australia, this is also the main grape used in the production of Liqueur Muscat, from the Victorian wine region of Rutherglen. Young, unaged and unfortified examples of Muscat blanc tend to exhibit the characteristic Muscat "grapey" aroma as well as citrus, rose and peach notes. Fortified and aged examples (particularly those that have been barrel aged) tend to be very dark in color due to oxidation with aroma notes of coffee, fruit cake, raisins and toffee.[2]

Muscat of Alexandria is another Muscat variety commonly used in the production of French vin doux naturel, but it is also found in Spain, where it is used to make many of the fortified Spanish Moscatels. Elsewhere it is used to make off-dry to sweet white wines, often labeled as Moscato in Australia, California and South Africa. In Alsace and parts of Central Europe, Muscat Ottonel is used to produce usually dry and highly perfumed wines.[2]

History

While there are theories that the origin of the Muscat family date back to ancient antiquity, there is no solid historical evidence that Muscat grapevines were among the grape varieties cultivated by civilizations such as the ancient Egyptians (papyrus image from the 15th-century BC tomb of Nakht).

Theories about the origins of Muscat grapes date ancestors of the varieties back to the

history in ancient Egypt and Persia and classical writers such as Columella and Pliny the Elder did describe very "muscat-like" grape varieties such as Anathelicon Moschaton and Apianae that were very sweet and attractive to bees (Latin apis), there is no solid historical evidence that these early wine grapes were members of the Muscat family.[3]

The first documented mention of grapes called "muscat" was in the works of the English

French in 1372 with the wine being described by Anglicus as "vin extrait de raisins muscats".[3]

Origins of the name "Muscat"

The "musky" aroma of ripe Muscat grapes has been known to attract bees (pictured), flies and other insects

Because the exact origins of the Muscat family cannot be pinpointed, theories as to the origin of the name "Muscat" are numerous. The most commonly cited is that it is derived from the

sugar levels of Muscat grapes being a common attractant for insects such as fruit flies.[4]

Other theories suggest that the grape family originated in the Arabian country of Oman and was named after the city of Muscat located on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. Another city that is sometimes suggested as a potential birthplace/namesake is the Greek city of Moschato, located southwest of Athens in Attica with Moschato being a common synonym in Greece for Muscat varieties.[3]

Closely related varieties

Muscat d'Eisenstadt (also known as "Muscat de Saumur"), one of the parent varieties of Muscat Ottonel

Of the more than 200 grape varieties sharing "Muscat" (or one of its synonyms) in their name, the majority are not closely related to each other. The exception are the members of the Muscat blanc à Petits Grains and Muscat of Alexandria families. In the early 21st century,

Sardinia.[3]

Muscat blanc à Petits Grains and Muscat of Alexandria, themselves, have crossed and have produced at least 14 different grape varieties, 5 of which are mostly cultivated in

Mission grape")[3]

Muscat of Alexandria has also been crossed with the

Catarratto bianco and Bombino bianco to produce the Marsala wine grape Grillo and Moscatello Selvatico, respectively.[3] Muscat Ottonel is the result of a crossing between one Muscat variety, "Muscat d'Eisenstadt" (also known as "Muscat de Saumur"), with the Swiss wine grape Chasselas[5]

Muscat blanc à Petits Grains has been identified as one of the parent grapes of several varieties, though with which crossing partner is currently unknown. These include the

Italian wine grapes Aleatico, Moscato Giallo (Yellow Moscato), Moscato rosa del Trentino (Pink Moscato of Trentino) and Moscato di Scanzo. DNA analysis was able to identify the Tuscan wine grape Mammolo as the second parent variety that crossed with Muscat blanc à Petits Grains to produce Muscat rouge de Madère (Red Muscat of Madère).[3]

Characteristic aromas and confusion with other grapes

The characteristic floral, "grapey" aroma of Muscat can be seen in wines such as Moscato d'Asti, made in a winemaking style that emphasizes the varietal aromas of the grape, rather than aromas derived from winemaking processes like oak aging or autolysis on the lees

Despite the vast diversity in the Muscat family, one common trait that can be seen in most all Muscat members is the characteristic floral, "

fortification.[4]

However, this common "musky" (French: musqué) trait has caused some confusion as varieties that are wholly unrelated to the Muscat family are often erroneously associated with Muscat grapes (often by naming and synonyms) due to their aromatic character. These include the

Loire wine Muscadet is sometimes mistakenly believed to be made from a member of the Muscat family.[5]

Lastly, the Muscat grape can be confused (in name only; the grapes themselves are quite different) with

muscadine
" grape.

Key varieties

The "Muscat family" is highly populous, with more than 200 distinct members.

Muscat of Hamburg and Muscat Ottonel.[4]

Muscat blanc à Petits Grains

In France, Muscat blanc à Petits Grains is often used to produce fortified "Vin doux Naturel" dessert wines such as the Muscat de Saint-Jean de Minervois (left) and Muscat de Beaume de Venise (right) shown

Muscat blanc à Petits Grains is known by many names worldwide, including Muscat Blanc (white Muscat) in

color mutations siring clusters of berries in nearly every shade possible though most commonly the grape berries are a deep yellow after veraison. In some vineyards, vines of Muscat blanc à Petits Grains are known to produce clusters of berries of different colors that change every vintage.[5]

The precise origins of Muscat blanc à Petits Grains are not known, though

Südsteiermark.[5]

Nearly all the most notable sweet Muscats of Greece, particularly those from the island of Samos and the city of Patras on the Peloponnese are made from Muscat blanc à Petits Grains. In the history of South African wine, the famous dessert wine of Constantia was made from this variety of Muscat and while today Muscat of Alexandria is more widely planted in South Africa, producers around Constantia are trying to reclaim some of the region's viticultural acclaim by replanting more Muscat blanc à Petits Grains and making wines in the style of the original Constantia.[3]

Muscat of Alexandria

The berries of Muscat of Alexandria clusters are larger and more oval-shaped than those of Muscat blanc à Petits Grains

While the grape's name harkens to the city of Alexandria and suggest an ancient Egyptian origin, DNA analysis has shown that Muscat of Alexandria is the result of a natural crossing between Muscat blanc à Petits Grains and the Greek wine grape Axina de Tres Bias. Though as Axina de Tres Bias has also been historically grown in Sardinia and Malta, the precise location and origins of Muscat of Alexandria cannot be determined. Compared to Muscat blanc à Petits Grains, Muscat of Alexandria tends to produce large, moderately loose clusters of large oval-shaped berries that are distinctive from the much smaller, round berries of Muscat blanc à Petits Grains.[5]

Like most Muscat varieties, Muscat of Alexandria is notable for being a desirable raisin and table grape. This is due in part to the grape's high tolerance of heat and drought conditions. While it is used in wine production (most notably on the island of

yields that can be easily overcropped as well as a more assertive aroma profile due to a higher concentration of the monoterpene geraniol, which produces a geranium scent, and lower concentration of nerol
with a more fresh, sweet rose aroma.[5]

In France, Muscat of Alexandria is most prominent as a blending component (with Muscat blanc à Petits Grains) in the VdN wines of

distilled drink "pisco".[5]

In South Africa, Muscat of Alexandria is known as "Hanepoot" and was the fourth-most widely planted white wine grape variety in the country until the early 2000s. While some of the plantings were used for wine production, particularly for fortified wine, many plantings were used for the production of

seedless grape varieties.[3]

Muscat of Hamburg

Muscat of Hamburg from an 1895 German viticultural text

Even though the vast majority of the members of the Muscat family are dark skinned grapes,

Malvasia del Lazio which has the same parentage.[3]

While Muscat of Hamburg is used mostly as a table grape throughout the world, there are two notable exceptions. The first is in California, where nearly all of the 102 hectares (250 acres) of Black Muscat in cultivation in 2009 were destined for wine production, primarily to produce dessert wines.

China, where Muscat of Hamburg is often crossed with Vitis amurensis species that are native to the region to produce wine grapes that are better adapted to the climate of various Chinese wine regions.[4]

Muscat Ottonel

A bowl of table grapes that includes a mixture of Muscat Ottonel and Chasselas Rouge de Foncé

Like Muscat of Hamburg, Muscat Ottonel is a relatively recent addition to the Muscat family, being bred in the

ripens the earliest.[5]

While varieties such as Muscat of Alexandria tend to thrive in very warm

late-harvest wines around Lake Neusiedl.[5]

Other notable varieties

Moscato Giallo (Yellow Moscato)
Muscat bleu (Blue Muscat)
Muscat of Norway

Synonyms

While each individual Muscat variety has its own set of synonyms, the general prefix of "Muscat" has its own unique translation around the globe. In Greece, the grapes are usually known as "Moschato" or "Moschoudia", while in Italy, they are known as "Moscato" or "Moscatello". On the Iberian peninsula, Portuguese and Spanish Muscat grapes are often prefixed as "Moscatel", while in Germany, the grapes are usually known as "Muskat" or "Muskateller". The family of Muscat varieties are known as "Misket" in Bulgaria and Turkey, "Muškat" in Croatia and "Muskotály" in Hungary. In the northern African wine regions of Tunisia, the grapes are often known as "Meski".[3]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 1-85732-999-6
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 9781905819157
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-846-14446-2
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-19-860990-6
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-15-100714-4
    .
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