Muscat love, candy-liteby Darryl Beeson The historic city of Muscat is the capital and largest city in the Arab Sultanate of Oman. A grape bearing the Muscat name over centuries has over-taken the entire world of wine, from Australia "pudding wines" to the famously frizzy Moscato of Asti, Italy. Its reputation of complex aromatics of apricot and concentrated orange precedes the lovely wine.
The so-called "French Paradox," the long-known concept via the CBS program "Sixty Minutes" report establishing that heart diseases are less common in France than in USA. Wine was the asset. Muscat grapes have been found to have concentrations of beneficial chemicals, such as antioxidant flavanoids, in quantities as high as many varieties of red grapes. It tastes good (like candy). Its good for you. Call that Muscat love. Though there are a zillion examples of great wine made from Muscat worldwide, one of this reviewer's favorites hails from Napa, California, being the St. Supery Moscato ($21 for the 750ml). It garnered Grand Champion - Double Gold Award status recently at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show. No bull. "This Moscato offers pure apricot, nectarine and peach in the aroma. There is a vibrant structure...that carries flavors of sweet citrus, white peach and just a hint of pear," says St. Supery C.E.O. Michaela Rodeno. "The lively acidity keeps all the flavors and the palate crisp and clean. Our 'tropical fruit basket' in a glass." C.E.O. in the wine industry can mean chief executive officer or "cool expert of oenolgy." She is both. "Whatever, avoid pairing our Muscato with chocolate," a difficult match for many wines, suggests Rodeno. Stick with combinations based upon luscious, ripe fruits. "Also try the St. Supery Moscato as a base for the mint-driven Mojito. Just bruise the mint rather than dice for the drink. Otherwise, the mint pieces get stuck in your teeth," insists Rodeno. Bruise mint sprigs by rolling them in your hands before adding them to your Mojito recipe. Learn more at www.stsupery.com. Don't worry so much about vintage as this is a dependable grape. Realize that the prices can be cheap. More fine examples of the Muscat grape include: Barefoot Moscato, California $6.00 Martin & Weyrich Moscato, California $9.99 Sutter Home Moscato, California $6.00 Gallo Twin Valley Moscato, California $6.00 Alice White Lexia Muscat, South Eastern Australia, $6.99 Becker Vineyards Muscat, Texas $8.99 Though Muscat, AKA Moscato, is a delicious sweet wine to sip, consider pouring a large splash over a bowl of diced fruit perhaps served at a brunch. Don't worry about the alcohol. The levels on these wines tend to be low. The spectacular flavors of apricot, peach and orange will add excitement to the diced melon and whatever is ripe. Darryl Beeson has been cellar master of establishments such as The Adolphus Hotel and The Mansion on Turtle Creek. Being no snob, he enjoys the sweet wines along with the bone-dry examples. He is American editor of www.wineontheweb.com. | 