Muscato the link in these distinctive whites
from Spain and Italy.
There is no one "true" Muscat, but rather a great many incarnations, each with its own regional nuance and character, according to Wine-Searcher.com. Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is known as Moscato (bianco) in Italy. Moscato d'Asti is a well-known Italian example, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise in Provence is a French one, both sweet. Muscat also features in Las Cuadras (you'll note its exotic aromas) but Viognier is the main grape here and the wine is dry.
Las Cuadras “Viognier and Muscat A Petits Grains” Costers Del Segre (DO) 2018, 12%, €14.95 Wines Direct
Valva Martínez de Toda is a young and innovative winemaker responsible for this distinctive and impressive Catalan white wine Las Cuadras, a blend of Viognier and Muscat.
Light straw is the colour, with a tint of green. Fresh and pleasant aromas of exotic fruit, touch of citrus. A little tingle on the introduction and then that juicy fruit sweeps across, distinctive, delicate and delicious, some sweet notes too, but there’s a notable acidity there also, right the way through to the moderately lengthy finish. Highly Recommended. Nice to have a few of these handy for summer days in the back-garden.
The vineyards that produce Las Cuadras are located in the Costers del Segre area of Catalonia in north eastern Spain. The name means 'Banks of the Segre' – a river which originates in the Pyrenees and is a tributary of the Ebro. The large Raimat estate is the best known in the DO which shares some of its vineyard with the Cava region.
Importers Wines Direct recommend pairing it with: Spicy Food, Pork and Poultry, Light Fish and Shellfish and Hard Cheese
Rich aromas, mainly floral, (and a bubble or two as well hits the nostrils) in this light gold low alcohol wine from Italy. The aromas persist as you sip. Bubbles galore but nothing too sparkly (Frizzante rather than Spumante) and not overly sweet either because there is a balancing acidity. A really lovely light tasting wine made with the Moscato grape. Recommended.
Versatile too. Jancis Robinson says it reminds her that wine can bring you joy without having to be serious. And recommends it for Breakfast (even the Full English) and Brunch.
Importers Wine Direct propose pairing it with Soft cheese, game and dessert while the producers suggest matching it with desserts and in particular with creams, fruit tarts, and pastries. Serving temperature - 6 to 10 degrees.
Just to give you a rough guide to the degree of sweetness, the Asti residual sugar is 130 g/l while in Sauternes is can be anywhere from 120 to 220 g/l; Beaumes de Venise is 110 g/l; Coke, by the way, is 113.
