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Wine Details
Price:
$14.00 per bottle
Description:
We make our Muscat dessert wine in the ice wine style except we picked our Muscat grapes at "normal" sugar levels that we would to make table wine. The grapes are then quickly frozen to 0°F, which removes much of the water while preserving the grapes' natural sugar and acid. The grapes are then pressed while still frozen. This unusual technique allows us to pick early while natural acidity is relatively high and we can precisely dial in the desired sugar level of the juice to be fermented. This way we avoid the potential of leaving defenseless grapes on the vine well into the rainy season, where rain, rot and rapidly degrading acidity can take their toll.
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Varietal Definition
Muscat:
Muscat, thought to be one of the oldest grape varieties, is grown worldwide. It is vinified in a multitude of styles, from still to sparkling, and dry to sweet to fortified. Also called Moscato, Moscatel and Muskateller, it is a sweetly aromatic, fruity grape that has many genetic variations and colors. It probably originated in Greece but maybe the independent sultanate of Muscat in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula had something to do with it. Over 200 different varieties and derivatives to the Muscat family exist today. Muscat Canelli, Orange Muscat and Black Muscat are varieties most planted in California, which makes primarily still wine. More unusual is Muscat fermented to total dryness, which leaves greater alcohol levels and no residual sugar. Some Muscats are aged in oak to provide additional complexity.Today’s recommended Muscats represent many of these styles, so use the tasting notes and percent of residual sugar - listed if provided by the winery - to find a wine you’ll enjoy. The more sugar and the lower the alcohol, the sweeter the wine, though wines above 10 percent alcohol can also be somewhat sweet.
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