Hey Bartender

WINE DRINKERS EVERYWHERE have, at one time or another, either heard of Muscat or have had a conversation about it. Wine purist have scoffed at those who enjoy some of the wines made from it. Novice wine drinkers have raved about those same wines, giving rise to the debate over whether those wines should even be referred to in the same sentence as some of the more traditional wines that purists enjoy. Today, we'll shed some light on Muscat. You'll be surprised at what the light reveals.

Muscat is grown everywhere and is used to make everything from wine to raisins. It is a variety of grape that belongs to the species Vitis vinifera. Known as the common grape wine, Vitis vinifera is native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia. This includes places like Germany, Iran, Portugal and Morocco. It first appeared about 200 million years ago and has been part of the human equation since the Neolithic period, around 10,200 Before the Common Era.

There are many, many varieties of Muscat: Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Muscat Rose à Petits Grains, Muscat Rouge à Petits Grains, Moscatel de Favaio, Muscat of Alexandria, Muskat-Ottonel, Black Muscat, Orange Muscat, Muscat Crocant, and Moravian Muscat, just to name a few. The actual number of varieties is well over two-hundred. The colors of these grapes are as varied as the names, ranging from white to black.

What makes Muscat so popular with novice wine drinkers is that it has a very pronounced sweet floral aroma. The wines produced using this grape tend to be very sweet, a characteristic that appeals to quite a few of those just beginning to experience wine.

In Italy, it is used to make Moscato d'Asti, a light sparkling wine made from a variety of Muscat called Muscato Canelli grown in the Piedmont region. Moscato d'Asti is very sweet and low in alcohol, often enjoyed with dessert. Recently, it's become a very popular wine in the United States.

In Spain, specific varieties of Muscat are used to make sherry. Sherry is a fortified wine made in Jerez, Spain according to strict Spanish laws. For those unfamiliar with the phrase fortified wine, it is wine which has a distilled beverage added to it. In most cases, the distilled beverage of choice is brandy. The difference between a fortified wine and a spirit is that a spirit is produced using distillation techniques, while fortified wines are simply wines that have had a spirit (distilled beverage) added to them.

Muscat wines are also used as the base for other adult elixirs such as Pisco and Metaxa. You may remember, from a previous post, that Pisco is a brandy produced by the distillation of fermented Muscat grapes. It is a colorless distillate made in Peru that is used to make the Pisco Sour, an extremely popular drink in that region. Greece is known for Metaxa, a blend of brandy and wine made from Muscat grapes. Metaxa's claim to fame is that it's the first alcoholic beverage known to be consumed in outer-space. I've enjoyed Metaxa on many an occasion. Consuming enough of it will give you the impression that you are actually in outer-space.

It should be quite obvious that Muscat is a very flexible grape used to make a wide range of adult beverages. As I stated earlier, it's been around for more than 200 years and it's been a part of the human experience for over 13 millennia. It is known to be the oldest domesticated grape in the world. What is not commonly known about it is how much our entire wine culture owes to the existence of Muscat. Theorists have suggested that the entire family of Vitis vinifera grapes are decedents of the Muscat grape. Let that sink in for a moment. Muscat is the parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, Malbec, Gamay, Primitivo, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot -- almost every grape you've ever heard of or consumed. So, wine purist may taunt those who enjoy those sweet Muscat-based wines, but they owe a debt of thanks to the Muscat grape no matter how they feel about the Muscat family of wines, especially since that family of wines includes everything they've ever heard of. Who doesn't love irony?

So, there you have it, the Muscat mystery -- unraveled! There is always an untold story, no matter what the topic may be. In the case of Muscat, the story is of an ancient grape, much older than our civilization, that probably, through its flexibility, helped mold our way of life in ways that we will never know or be able to imagine. It is well documented that the discovery of distilled beverages helped build cultures and helped distinctly different cultures find ways to flourish together. If all those theorists are correct, then Muscat paved the road that got us to this point. When the Hall of Fame for this sort of thing is constructed, Muscat should be the first inductee. As always, whether enjoying Moscato d'Asti, Sherry, Metaxa, or Pisco alone or with friends, please do so responsibly. Until next time...prosit!!!