Wine on Wednesday: Moscato

This Week’s Wine on Wednesday Focus: Moscato

All of our Wine on Wednesday features thus far have focused on wines you would typically pair with meals, appetizers or light snacks. This week we focus on a wine that, like many of us, loves dessert!

Moscato is considered to be a “dessert wine” or may be also be referred to as a “sweet wine”, and it earns its label because it is typically very sweet. Some wine drinkers start their tasting ventures with Moscato because of its sweetness and light body (see our Introduction to Wine on Wednesday for information on terms like these).

What makes Moscato an interesting varietal is its semi sparkling, spritzy character. It isn’t bubbly like champagne or sparkling wines, but it does have a slightly effervescent characteristic. Moscato is also known for having a lower alcohol content than other varietals, typically about 5-8 percent by volume.

Flavor notes you will typically find in Moscato include apricot, peach, meyer lemon and orange, which is why Moscato pairs well with desserts, especially fresh fruit and fruity desserts. In addition to the fruit notes, other flavor notes such as honeysuckle, vanilla bean, jasmine, almonds, ginger, an even perfume. These notes make Moscato a good pairing with almond, hazelnut, or vanilla desserts.

Although Moscato is often considered a dessert wine because of the fruit notes and sweetness, it does pair well with some foods. Spicy foods like Thai food can pair well with Moscato because the sweetness of the wine balances the spiciness of the food. Moscato can also pair well with white meat and fish as well.

Now that we’ve learned more about Moscato, could this be a good choice for you? Moscato is a great choice for those who prefer a very sweet wine, or are looking for a great wine to pair with dessert. If you like a drier, more full bodied wine, you may find Moscato to be too sweet for you.

Here are a few popular winemakers for Moscato:

Robert Mondavi

Cupcake

Barefoot

Thanks for joining us for this week’s installment! Stay tuned for our next installment of Wine on Wednesday!