| Muscat | |
|---|---|
| Grape (Vitis) | |
 Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and Muscat Noir showing the white and black-skinned color mutation of the variety | |
| Species | Vitis vinifera |
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TheMuscat family of grapes includes over 200grape varieties belonging to theVitis vinifera species that have been used inwine production and asraisin andtable grapes around the globe for many centuries. Theircolors range from white (such asMuscat 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 floralaroma. 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 theVitis vinifera grape variety are descended from the Muscat variety.[1]
Among the most notable members of the Muscat family areMuscat Blanc à Petits Grains, which is the primary grape variety used in the production of theItaliansparkling wineAsti (also known asMoscato d'Asti) made in thePiedmont region. It is also used in the production of many of theFrenchfortified wines known asvin doux naturels. InAustralia, this is also the main grape used in the production ofLiqueur Muscat, from theVictorian wine region ofRutherglen. 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 beenbarrel aged) tend to be very dark in color due tooxidation with aroma notes of coffee, fruit cake, raisins and toffee.[2]
Muscat of Alexandria is another Muscat variety commonly used in the production of Frenchvin doux naturel, but it is also found inSpain, where it is used to make many of the fortified Spanish Moscatels. Elsewhere it is used to makeoff-dry to sweet white wines, often labeled asMoscato in Australia,California andSouth Africa. InAlsace and parts of Central Europe, Muscat Ottonel is used to produce usually dry and highly perfumed wines.[2]
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Theories about the origins of Muscat grapes date ancestors of the varieties back to theancient Egyptians andPersians of early antiquity (c. 3000–1000 BC) while someampelographers, such asPierre Galet, believe that the family of Muscat varieties werepropagated during the period ofclassical antiquity (c. 800 BC to 600 AD) by theGreeks andRomans. However, while domestic wine production had a longhistory in ancient Egypt and Persia and classical writers such asColumella andPliny the Elder did describe very "muscat-like" grape varieties such asAnathelicon Moschaton andApianae that were very sweet and attractive to bees (Latinapis), 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 EnglishFranciscan scholarBartholomeus Anglicus who wrote of wine made from Muscat grapes in his workDe proprietatibus rerum written between 1230 and 1240 while Anglicus was studying in what is now modernSaxony in Germany. Anglicus' Latin work was translated intoFrench in 1372 with the wine being described by Anglicus as"vin extrait de raisins muscats".[3]
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 thePersian wordmuchk. Similar etymology follows theGreekmoskos, Latinmuscus and Frenchmusc.[3] In Italy, theItalian wordmosca forfly could also be one possibility with the sweet aroma and highsugar levels of Muscat grapes attracting insects such asfruit flies.[4]
Other theories suggest that the grape family originated in the West Asian country ofOman and was named after the city ofMuscat located on the coast of theGulf of Oman. Another city that is sometimes suggested as a potential birthplace/namesake is the Greek city ofMoschato, located southwest ofAthens inAttica, withMoschato being a common synonym in Greece for Muscat varieties.[3]
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 theMuscat blanc à Petits Grains and Muscat of Alexandria families. In the early 21st century,DNA analysis showed that Muscat of Alexandria was, itself, anatural crossing ofMuscat blanc à Petits Grains and a black-skinned table grape variety from theGreek islands known asAxina de Tres Bias. Rarely seen outside of Greece,Axina de Tres Bias (also known as "Heftakilo") is also grown inMalta andSardinia.[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 inSouth America and 9 still found in Italy though none are of major use in wine production. More notable and widely planted offspring have come fromMuscat blanc à Petits Grains and Muscat of Alexandria crossing with other grape varieties, such as theArgentine wine grapes ofCereza,Torrontés Riojano andTorrontés Sanjuanino, stemming from a cross of Muscat of Alexandria with "Listán negro" (also known as the "Mission grape")[3]
Muscat of Alexandria has also been crossed with theGerman /Italian wine grapeTrollinger (also known as "Schiava Grossa") to produceMuscat of Hamburg andMalvasia del Lazio, and with the Italian wine grapesCatarratto bianco andBombino bianco to produce theMarsala wine grapeGrillo andMoscatello 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 theSwiss wine grapeChasselas[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 theItalian wine grapesAleatico,Moscato Giallo (Yellow Moscato),Moscato rosa del Trentino (Pink Moscato of Trentino) andMoscato di Scanzo. DNA analysis was able to identify theTuscan wine grapeMammolo as the second parent variety that crossed withMuscat blanc à Petits Grains to produceMuscat rouge de Madère (Red Muscat of Madère).[3]
Despite the vast diversity in the Muscat family, one common trait that can be seen in almost all Muscat members is the characteristic floral, "grapey"aroma note that is caused by the high concentration ofmonoterpenes in the grapes. More than 40 different monoterpenes have been discovered in Muscat grapes (as well as in other aromatic varieties likeRiesling andGewürztraminer); these includecitronellol,geraniol,linalool andnerol. This characteristic "musk" aroma can be best observed inlight bodied, lowalcohol wines such asMoscato Asti which have not had theirbouquet heavily influenced by other winemaking techniques likeoak aging,autolysis withyeast,malolactic fermentation orfortification.[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 theGerman wine grapeMorio Muskat which, despite its name, is not related to the Muscat family and is, instead, a crossing ofSilvaner xPinot blanc. Likewise, the highly aromatic clonalmutation of several wine grape varieties such asSauvignon blanc,Chasselas andChardonnay are often suffixed withMusqué which can add confusion to their relationship with the Muscat family.[4] Additionally, theBordeaux wine grapeMuscadelle that is used for both sweet anddry wines is often mistaken for a Muscat variety due to its aromatic qualities.[3] While made from a more aromatically neutral grape,Melon de Bourgogne grape, theLoire wineMuscadet 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) withVitis rotundifolia, which is commonly known as a "muscadine" grape.
The "Muscat family" is highly populous, with more than 200 distinct members.[3] However, among these many different grapes only a handful of Muscat varieties are widely used in wine production. These includeMuscat blanc à Petits Grains,Muscat of Alexandria,Muscat of Hamburg andMuscat Ottonel.[4]
Muscat blanc à Petits Grains is known by many names worldwide, includingMuscat Blanc (white Muscat) inFrance and theUnited States),Muscat Canelli in the United States,Moscato Bianco (white Moscato) inItaly,Muscat Frontignan inSouth Africa,Moschato inGreece,Brown Muscat inAustralia,Muskateller inGermany andAustria,Muscat de Grano Menudo inSpain, andMuscat de Frontignan andMuscat Lunel in France. While the "petits grains" in the grape's name accurately describes the small, round berries of the vine, some wine experts, such asOz Clarke, believe that the term "Muscat blanc" is misleading, since the grapevine is notorious for its frequentcolor mutations siring clusters of berries in nearly every shade possible though most commonly the grape berries are a deep yellow afterveraison. In some vineyards, vines ofMuscat blanc à Petits Grains are known to produce clusters of berries of different colors that change everyvintage.[5]
The precise origins ofMuscat blanc à Petits Grains are not known, thoughGreece and Italy can both make compelling cases due to the proliferation of clones, mutations and offspring.[3] Today, the grape is found throughout the wine-producing world, making a wide range of wine, from light, sweetsparkling and semi-sparklingAsti andMoscato d'Asti wine in thePiedmont wine region of Italy andClairette de Die region of France,fortifiedvin doux naturels (VdN) in southern France inAOC regions such asMuscat de Beaume de Venise,Muscat de Saint-Jean de Minervois andMuscat de Frontignan, fortifiedLiqueur Muscat in theRutherglen wine region in Australia, to dry wines in theWachau wine of Austria andSüdsteiermark.[5]
Nearly all the most notable sweet Muscats of Greece, particularly those from the island ofSamos and the city ofPatras on thePeloponnese are made fromMuscat blanc à Petits Grains. In thehistory of South African wine, the famous dessert wine ofConstantia was made from this variety of Muscat and while today Muscat of Alexandria is more widely planted in South Africa, producers aroundConstantia are trying to reclaim some of the region's viticultural acclaim by replanting moreMuscat blanc à Petits Grains and making wines in the style of the original Constantia.[3]
While the grape's name harkens to the city ofAlexandria and suggest an ancient Egyptian origin, DNA analysis has shown that Muscat of Alexandria is the result of a natural crossing betweenMuscat blanc à Petits Grains and the Greek wine grapeAxina de Tres Bias. Though asAxina 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 toMuscat 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 ofMuscat 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 ofPantelleria betweenSicily andTunisia, where it makes apassito styledessert wine under the name of "Zibibbo"), the grape lags far behind the reputation ofMuscat blanc à Petits Grains. This is partly because Muscat of Alexandria is very vigorous and prone to produce highyields that can be easily overcropped as well as a more assertive aroma profile due to a higher concentration of themonoterpenegeraniol, which produces ageranium scent, and lower concentration ofnerol with a more fresh, sweetrose aroma.[5]
In France, Muscat of Alexandria is most prominent as a blending component (withMuscat blanc à Petits Grains) in the VdN wines ofMuscat de Rivesaltes AOC in theRoussillon wine region. The grape is the primary Muscat variety in Spain, where it is known asMoscatel, though the majority of the country's plantings are used for table grapes and raisins, rather than for wine production. Likewise, inChile, andPeru most of the Moscatel in both countries is used to produce thedistilled 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 ofgrape concentrate and raisins.[4] InCalifornia, there is still more plantings of Muscat of Alexandria than any other Muscat variety, with most of these grapes going into anonymousjug wines from theCentral Valley.[5] As in many other places in the world, the grape had a long history of use in the United States as a raisin variety, though in the 1920s, plantings of Muscat of Alexandria began to decline as producers turned to more popularseedless grape varieties.[3]
Even though the vast majority of the members of the Muscat family are dark skinned grapes,[4] most of the major varieties used in wine production are white or "pale skinned", with the one significant exception ofMuscat of Hamburg, which is also known asBlack Muscat. This dark-skinned grape is believed to have originated in theVictoriangreenhouses of England, where it was first described in 1858 as being propagated by Seward Snow, gardener to theEarl de Grey. Snow described the grape as a seedling that he created from crossing the Black Hamburg grape (an old synonym ofSchiava Grossa) with the White Muscat of Alexandria. In 2003, DNA analysis confirmed that Muscat of Hamburg was, indeed, a crossing of Muscat of Alexandria and Schiava Grossa, which makes the grape a full sibling to the central Italian grapeMalvasia 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.[3] The other exception is inChina, where Muscat of Hamburg is often crossed withVitis 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]
Like Muscat of Hamburg,Muscat Ottonel is a relatively recent addition to the Muscat family, being bred in theLoire Valley wine region of France in the 1850s. The grape is a cross of theSwiss wine grapeChasselas andMuscat d'Eisenstadt (also known asMuscat de Saumur). Of all of the major Muscat varieties,Muscat Ottonel has the most pale skin color, and tends to produce the most neutral wines and is also the grape variety thatripens the earliest.[5]
While varieties such as Muscat of Alexandria tend to thrive in very warmMediterranean climates, Muscat of Ottonel has shown an affinity for ripening in coolercontinental climates, and has found a home in many Central European nations, such asBulgaria, theCzech Republic,Romania and many former republic of theSoviet Union, such asRussia,Kazakhstan,Moldova,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan andUkraine.[4] It is also the primary Muscat variety grown in the French region ofAlsace, where it is used to produce both dry and off-dry styles. In Austria, it is also the most widely planted Muscat variety, where it is used to producelate-harvest wines aroundLake Neusiedl.[5]
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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]
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