Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Sensibility, Jane Austen recommended Con-
stantia for “its healing powers on a disap-
pointed heart.” The wine is a late-harvest gem
that after years of oblivion was back in produc-
tion at the estate with the 1986 vintage from
vines planted in 1982. Nedeburg Private Bin
Eminence is also a potential standout South
African Moscato Bianco.
In the United States, Moscato Bianco has
long been popular: in 2012, domestic sales by
volume of Muscat wines overtook those of Sau-
vignon Blanc wines and now sit in third place
after those of Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio,
though Muscat wines sell at much lower retail
prices. Wines are labeled either as Muscat
Blanc or Muscat Canelli; the once-common
Muscat Frontignan name was ruled inadmissi-
ble by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms in 1996, and was disallowed from
labels after 1999. Excellent examples of Califor-
nia Moscato Bianco wines include those by Cal-
laway Vineyard and Winery, Wilson Creek Win-
ery and Vineyard, Cougar Cellars, and Bolero
Cellars in Temecula Valley (the sweet Muscat
Canelli by Bolero Cellars won Best Dessert
Wine at the 2012 Temecula Valley Balloon and
Wine Festival), Navarro Vineyards, Eberle Win-
ery, St. Supery, Vino Noceto (they use Moscato
Bianco on the label, but it's actually a blend of
Moscato Bianco and what they call Orange
Muscat), Lange Twins Winery and Vineyards,
Wattle Creek Winery, Tobin James, and Husch
Vineyards (I particularly like their version).
Merryvale makes a wine called Antigua that is
100 percent Moscato Bianco (still named Mus-
cat de Frontignan on their website, though not
on the wine's label) fortifi ed with fi ne pot-still
brandy. California's Treatch Cellars makes a
sparkling Moscato wine called Cuve'e de Fron-
tignan (Cuve'e is their spelling), but that is
made with Moscato di Alessandria grapes.
Moscato Bianco is also popular in Washing-
ton, where Inland Desert Nursery, Washing-
ton's largest commercial grape nursery, sold out
their Moscato planting material (only a small
portion of which was Moscato Bianco) in 2011
and 2012. In Washington, Moscato Bianco is
mainly a blending grape. There are some old
vineyards of Moscato Bianco (usually referred
to as Muscat Canelli), such as the one at Phil
Church Vineyards in the Yakima Valley, planted
in the late 1970s and still in production. Now
sold to Precept Wines, the contract for those
grapes was fi rst held with Covey Run, which
made Muscat Canelli wine with the grapes,
then with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Moscato
Bianco wines are also made in many other U.S.
states such as Indiana (Chateau Thomas) and
New Mexico (Blue Teal Winery); I visited the
latter winery (associated with other wine labels
such as St. Clair, all under the same owner-
ship) just a few years ago and found it to have a
pretty and very large tasting room. Not all the
wines are successful, and there's plenty of room
for improvement, but it's great to see Italian
varieties thriving in lands as far removed from
the mother country as is beautiful New Mexico,
and that people there wish to try their hand at
making wine from them.
wines to try: For Moscato d'Asti, try: Paolo
Saracco***, La Spinetta*** (Bricco Quaglia
and Biancospino), Borgo Maragliano** (La
Caliera), Ca' d' Gal** (Vigna Vecchia), Ca' du
Sindic-Sergio Grimaldi** (Capsula Argento),
Elio Perrone** (Clarté), and GD Vajra**; for
Piemonte Moscato, try: Paolo Saracco***
(Moscato d'Autunno), Marchesi di Gresy***
(L'Altro Moscato); for Loazzolo, try: Forteto
della Luja*** (Piana Rischei Vendemmia Tar-
diva) and Borgo Maragliano** (Vendemmia
Tardiva). For Asti, try: Contratto*** (De
Miranda Metodo Classico), Cascina Fonda***
(Bel Piasi), and Caudrina** (Dolce La Selva-
tica). For Moscadello di Montalcino, try: Col
d'Orcia*** (Pascena), La Poderina***,
Capanna**, Caprili**, Il Poggione**, Silvio
Nardi**, Banfi * (Florus), and Camigliano*
(L'Aura). For Moscato di Noto and Noto Passito,
try: Planeta*** (Noto Passito, an outstanding
wine) and Marabino** (Moscato di Noto Pas-
sito Moscato della Torre). Other producers,
whose wines I have not tried lately, include Rio-
Favara** (Notissimo), Orazio Candido*, and
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