Muscat

Also known as: Muscat blanc à petits grains (France), Gelber Muskateller (Austria), Moscato Bianco (Italy), Moscatel de grano menudo (Spain)

Muskateller is the only grape variety whose wine actually tastes of grapes. No other variety has this unmistakable aroma: elderflower, rose petal, orange zest, nutmeg. The name itself reveals it – although the etymology is disputed: musk fragrance or simply the Greek word for wine?

The Muskateller family of varieties is extensive. The noblest representative is Muscat blanc à petits grains – small berries, intense aromas, high acidity. In southern France it produces the sweet Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, in Alsace the dry Muscat d’Alsace. In Austria it’s called Gelber Muskateller and shows crisp freshness in southern Styria.

Matassa in Roussillon works with old Muscat vines at extreme altitudes – the wines are dry, taut, anything but perfumed. Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace demonstrates the full range from the dry Goldert to the sweet Vendange Tardive. In Styria, Tement shows how elegant and mineral Gelber Muskateller can be.