Muscat
A sweet family
Over 200 varieties have “Muscat” in their names, and many are completely unrelated. What they share is a fragrance of fresh grapes. Muscat owes its name to the intense aroma. It derives from the word “musk”, and appears in documents dating from 1230. The most common representative of the Muscat line is the white Muscat blanc à petits grains. In Italy, it is known as Moscato Bianco, and in Germany and Styria as Gelber Muskateller. In Switzerland it is called Muscat du Valais. Researchers largely agree that it originated in Greece, and from there found its way via Italy to southern France. When crafted with expert hands, it turns out fresh, floral and spicy with a slightly tart note. Pressing it into high quality wines is not very easy. Sweet forms have greater renown, such as Muscat de Rivesaltes and Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise from southern France or Muscat from the Greek island of Samos.
