Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
structure), CVT AT 57 (medium-small, moder-
ately compact bunches), AL-MOS-30, VCR 3
(medium bunch and very thick skins), and CVT
190 (medium-small, moderately compact
bunches).
Moscatello di Castiglione is a recently redis-
covered grapevine that is a site-specifi c biotype
or ecotype of Moscato Bianco typical of the
Casauria area of Abruzzo, where it was fi rst
described in the 1400s. Together with the
Regione Abruzzo and the University of Bari,
the Angelucci estate had the variety studied
ampelologically (that is, with both ampelo-
graphic and genetic tests), and determined it to
be a biotype of Moscato Bianco, improperly
called “clone.” The variety is now available for
propagation from certifi ed nurseries and has
been labeled Moscato Bianco “clone Casau-
riense” or UBA-RA-MO 16.
According to Angelucci, Moscato Bianco
and Moscatello di Castiglione differ considera-
bly ampelographically; the latter is distin-
guished by slightly longer internodes, a more
stocky, compact bunch, and a rounder and
thicker-skinned, smaller berry. They also point
out the variety is especially rich in linalool,
rather than geraniol. Domenico Pasetti of the
Pasetti estate also makes a Moscatello di Cas-
tiglione wine and thinks the variety shares fea-
tures with Moscato Giallo and Moscato Bianco,
though the variety is clearly a biotype of
Moscato Bianco. “From a viticultural perspec-
tive,” he says, “its ampelographic characteris-
tics and kinetics of air-drying make it similar to
Moscato Giallo, while its enological behavior
and aromatic profile are more typical of
Moscato Bianco.” It seems to grow best on clay
soils that are not too humid, such as the soils of
the townships of Castiglione a Casauria, Pes-
cosansonesco, and parts of the townships of
Pietranico and Tocco Casauria. Compared to
the Moscato Bianco grown elsewhere in Italy, it
is always characterized by lower productivity.
produced from it not just in Italy but all over the
world—from light-bodied, perfumed dry and
off-dry whites, to rich and sweet late-harvest
table wines, to the unique fortifi ed styles Aus-
tralia is famous for. When not shriveled to rais-
iny extremes, Moscato Bianco is remarkable in
that it delivers a wine that actually tastes of
grapes: its intense and highly characteristic
aroma and fl avor profi les are such that the
grape variety used to make the wine is virtually
unmistakable. In contrast to Moscato Giallo
and Moscato di Alessandria, the other two most
important white-berried Moscato varieties, it is
capable of producing both dry and off-dry
wines with real fi nesse and an extremely pure,
hauntingly refi ned fl oral aroma that though
highly aromatic, is less obviously spicy. If there
is one weakness to Moscato Bianco, it is its rela-
tively low acid levels; therefore, most of the
wines made from it are best enjoyed young,
though this is by no means an all-encompass-
ing rule.
Given the positives about its wines, it cannot
be a surprise that Moscato Bianco plays a domi-
nant role in at least thirteen Italian DOC and
DOCG wines. It is used to make wines in Italy's
extreme north (the Valle d'Aosta) and its deep
south (Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia). Therefore,
not all of southern Italy's Moscato wines are
made with the heat-resistant Moscato di Ales-
sandria. Italy's best-known Moscato Bianco
wines are those of Piedmont, such as the
DOCG Moscato d'Asti, usually bubbly and deli-
cately sweet, but also available in an air-dried,
very sweet dessert-style version. Moscato d'Asti
is made by keeping freshly pressed Moscato
Bianco juice at about 0°C in autoclaves, where
about half the residual sugar present is fer-
mented to alcohol and the rest is left as natural
sweetness. Asti Spumante, a less-important
DOCG wine, is obtained by refermentating
moscato wine in autoclaves; the wine is then
bottled under isobaric conditions so that the
foam is very minute and intense. This means
that the wine is bottled at a higher pressure,
usually around 4.5 or 5 Bar. compared to
Moscato d'Asti's maximum of 1.7 Bar.; hence
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Moscato Bianco is a real chameleon when it
comes to wine: several different wine styles are
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