Moscato, or muscat, seems to be all the rage these days. I’m seeing more and more of it show up in wine shops and wine lists. And I’ve heard from some producers that demand is so high they can’t produce enough of it. There may be a direct correlation in the reduced consumption of white zinfandel and the increased consumption of moscato (I’m just speculating here, I have no data to back up this crazy suggestion).
There is not just one muscat grape, but rather there is a family of muscats, including muscat blanc, moscatel, black muscat and orange muscat to name a few. Muscat is known for intense floral aromatics, which can be amazing.
It’s made into wine of a few styles, the most popular of which in the US these days is a sweeter sparkling muscat. And that’s what this one is from Ricossa Antica Casa. For anyone who doesn’t already know this, the Asti part of the name tells you that this is a sparkling wine from the Piedmont region in Italy.
Orange blossom, citrus and honey aromas give this wine a lovely nose. In the mouth it’s creamy and slightly bubbly, offering the flavors of peaches and mandarin oranges, covered with honey. The floral aromatics give you a quick pop of excitement on the mid-palate and it finishes with lingering peach and honey flavors. While I’m personally not a big fan of this style of wine, I have to say that this one is well done.
Wine: Ricossa Antica Casa Moscato D’Asti
Variety: Muscat
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol: 5.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $14.99
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.