This week’s pick resulted from my desire to please a good friend that isn’t a huge fan of dry wines. But, she is a huge fan of sweet wines. However, I was also going to have a table full of other people to please so I couldn’t start off the evening with dessert wine, which is my friend’s absolute favorite. As I looked over my racks of wine to see what I should take, I spotted an Australian Moscato. Until we received the bottle from Pernod Ricard, I didn’t even realize that the Aussies produced Moscato, or Muscat as it’s also known. I seized upon it and away we went, along with a few other bottles. Needless to say, it was a huge hit with the entire table. Everyone appreciated the light and refreshing wine with a spritz as a starter to the evening.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that the wine was a hit. When it’s done well, Muscat is the perfect wine to please a group of people, including non-wine drinkers. It’s light, low in alcohol, refreshing and has beautiful notes of grapes (one of the few wines that you are allowed to say smell and taste like grapes), stone fruits and tropical fruits. Last year, the popularity of Muscat skyrocketed in the United States with it’s sales increasing by over 70%. Given that Muscat is easy to grow, provides high yields and spends no time in oak, these wines also tend to be easy on the wallet.
The 2010 Jacob’s Creek Moscato is priced in the $6 to $9 range. Here is the tasting note:
Appearance: Clear with a pale lemon-yellow to lemon color with large, slow bubbles (that create a nice spritz).
Aroma: Clean with a medium, youthful intensity of grapes, peach, pineapple, pineapple, guava and mango.
Palate: Medium dry, medium to medium plus acid, light body, low alcohol, no tannin, medium plus intensity of grapes, peach, pineapple, pineapple, guava and mango.
Rating: Good wine at a very good price. The wine was refreshing with a light spritz, a refreshing acidity that balanced the sweetness and beautiful fruit and tropical aromas and flavors. Serve with chevre cheese or Indian food.
Photo courtesy of winesearcher.com
