What is Moscato? Guide to Wine Styles, Grape Varieties, Food Pairings

What is Moscatoand what are the main styles and characteristics of the wine?

Moscato is one of the oldest grape varieties in the world. The wine made from it has an irresistible sweetness and refreshing fruit flavors!

Most Moscato wines have high residual sugar levels, an opulent floral aroma with hints of honeysuckle, and flavor notes of white peach, apricot, and tropical fruit. In this article, we’ll reveal all the different Moscato wine types, the 10 best wines, and some useful serving and food pairing tips. We’ll also explore the different Moscato grape varieties, the wine regions, and a quick look into its history.

Moscato Wine Styles

The Moscato grape is versatile and produces an array of different wine styles. Here are the five most common Moscato wine styles:

1. White Moscato

This classic sweet white wine is made from Muscat Blanc, Muscat of Alexandria, and other Moscato grape varieties.

The sweet ripe apricot, nectarine, and tropical fruit flavors enhance the wine’s natural sweetness.

2. Pink Moscato

Pink Moscato is a slightly fizzy wine style, and it’s made with the Muscat Blanc grape variety. 

To get the beautiful pink hue, a dash of Merlot is added to the white Moscato wine. This gives the Muscat wine pleasant red fruit flavor and aroma hints.

3. Red Moscato

Red Moscato is a rare red wine made with the Black Muscat grape variety. The wine has a floral aroma and fresh fruit flavor hints of red berry accompanied by black tea and licorice undertones.

4. Semi-Sparkling and Sparkling Moscato

Some of the most popular Moscato sparklers come from Italy. They’re usually labeled as Frizzante (semi sparkling wine) or Spumante (sparkling wine). 

A good example of a sparkling Moscato is the Moscato d’Asti wine which has crisp acidity, refreshing minerality, and alcohol content of 7.5%. The bubbly also has sweet flavor notes of orange blossom and honeysuckle with hints of juicy peach.

5. Moscato Dessert Wine

If Moscato wines are not sweet enough for you, go for a Moscato dessert wine. These wines are like liquid dessert in a glass since they usually have over 100 grams of residual sugar per liter.

These wines have low alcohol content (5-7%) and honey taste with peach, apricot, and tropical fruit hints. 

Next, let’s check out some great Moscato wine bottles you can stock this year.

10 Best Moscato Wines

These are some of the most delicious Moscato wines you should definitely try:

1. 2018 Domaine Gauby Les Calcinaires Blanc ($22)

2. 2017 Puchang Vineyard Muscat Dry ($69)

3. 2018 Herzog Wine Cellars Jeunesse Pink Moscato ($22)

4. Bacio di Bolle Pink Moscato ($10)

5. 2016 Ferrari-Carano Eldorado Noir Black Muscat ($63)

6. 2020 Papras 'Oreads' Rose PGI Tyrnavos ($23)

7. 2011 Ca' d'Gal Vite Vecchia ($88)

8. 2019 Ceretto I Vignaioli di S. Stefano Moscato d'Asti DOCG ($19)

9. Pfeiffer Rare Muscat ($83)

10. 2014 La Vrille Chambave Muscat Fletri ($95)

For more wine suggestions, and their detailed tasting notes, check out our guide to the world’s finest Moscato wines.

Moscato Wine Serving and Food Pairing Suggestions

Serve your Moscato wine chilled at 40℉ to 50℉ (4℃ to 10℃).

You can pair a glass of this sweet wine with various spicy food dishes, which can balance out the sweetness and slight acidity of the wine.

Besides various spicy dishes, other food pairing options are mild cheese, grilled chicken, white fish, and barbequed meats. 

Moscato’s vivid fruity flavor and sweetness also make it a great aperitif.

Types of Muscat Grapes

The Moscato grape family has around 200 types of grapes. Here are the seven most popular ones:

1. Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains

Muscat Blanc (also known as Muscat Canelli or Moscato Bianco grape) is used in the making of sweet and dry white wine styles. About 75% of all Muscat Blanc is grown in Italy and the grape is a key ingredient in many Italian wine styles.

Moscato Bianco has flavor notes of orange blossom, peach, and honeysuckle.

2. Muscat Rouge a Petits Grains

Muscat Rouge has a similar flavor profile to Muscat Blanc and it’s believed to have originated in Greece.

3. Muscat of Alexandria

Muscat of Alexandria (also known as Moscatel) is mainly grown in Italy and Spain. It is a popular wine grape that the winemaker can use in the production of both still and sparkling wine.

The flavor notes include nectarine, ripe apricot, and tropical fruit.

4. Muscat Hamburg

Known also as Black Muscat, this is a red grape variety grown in Italy, Greece, France, Australia, and the US. 

Compared to the other Moscato grape varieties, Black Muscat has a less fragrant nose and is sometimes blended with small quantities of other grapes.

5. Moscato Giallo

Moscato Giallo thrives in the limestone soils of the Italian Alps. The grape variety has mouthwatering flavors of baked apple and citrus. Depending on the winemaker style, this wine can have around 10% to 13% ABV.

6. Moscato Rosa

This red-skinned grape is widely used as a blending grape with Muscat Blanc. The resulting wines have a pink tint and opulent floral aroma with honey and white peach flavors.

7. Muscat Ottonel

This is a comparatively young grape variety, created in 1952. It is used in the making of both dry wine and dessert wine styles with refreshing acidity and low alcohol content.

Moscato Wine Regions

Moscato is grown all over the world. These are some of the most famous wine-growing regions:

1. Italy

The Moscato grape is native to Italy, and it’s grown in the vineyard sites of:

• Asti DOCG
• Veneto
• Piedmont
• Sicily
• Valle d’Aosta
• Puglia

2. The USA

The US is one of the biggest producers of Moscato grapes, with about 50% of the total Moscato plantations. 

Most wines are fizzy, fruity, and easy-drinking ones, perfect for beginner wine drinkers. One of the most popular US Moscatos is Barefoot Moscato.

Moscato is mainly planted in California, but it’s also grown in:

• Washington 
• Oregon
• New York
• Michigan

3. Australia

Australia is the third biggest Moscato producer. The grape is grown in many wine regions, including:

• Barossa Valley
• Yarra Valley
• Margaret River
• Hunter Valley

4. Spain

In Spain, Moscato is known as Moscatel (Muscat de Alexandria), and it’s primarily grown in Andalucia. Here the grape is used in the making of fortified wine.

5. Other Countries

The Muscat grape is also grown in Portugal, France, South Africa, and Chile. 

Let’s take a quick look at the grape’s past as well.

The Versatile Moscato Grape: A Brief History

The Muscat is believed to have originated in the 12th century in the hot Mediterranean region. 

From there, the grape spread over to France and Germany. Soon after, it got popular in other parts of the world like Australia, Africa, and North America. 

Because it was grown in so many different regions under different conditions, the Muscat grape started producing slightly different clones, and today, there are more than 200 variations of the variety. 

Moscato: A Sweet Tipple For Your Next Celebration!

Whether you prefer an off-dry wine with balanced sweetness or extremely sweet dessert wine - there’s a Moscato for everyone. 

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