by Frank Mangio
I have noticed that many more wine dinners offered by upscale restaurants, are serving some lovely sweet or dessert wines. Most delicate pastries demand a sweet Port, late harvest Riesling, Ice wine or my favorite, the Muscat Canelli.
This southern French and Italian style dessert wine is made from the Muscat grape. More about that later.
I was interested in how the wines get so sweet as to be a dessert in itself. Grapes that are used have to be very high in sugar content. They get that way by being picked after the normal harvest. The sugar may be maximized by allowing the grapes to “raisinate” by laying out on racks before crushing. This waiting process is labor intensive and makes for a more expensive price point for the wines.
Alcohol levels are higher, usually 16 to 19% due to the very high sugar level.
Now to the lovely Muscat Canelli. Muscat grapes were known to have been some of the oldest in France and Italy, brought in by the Phoenicians and Greeks.
The aromas on these dessert wines are captivating. They reek of racy tastes like orange, melon, peaches and apricot. With the holidays fast approaching, the popularity of these dessert wines increases. They have a settling quality about them after a king-size meal. Now here’s a large sized tip for you. Some of the best Muscat Canellis in the country are from the Temecula Valley. Recently the Wall Street Journal profiled this lovely dessert wine and found two from this neighborhood appellation that they thought were among the best. Another surprise was these Muscats were lower than normal on the alcohol, about 10 to 12%, and although sweet, contained enough acidity to balance the innate sweetness. Served chilled, it relaxes the mind, and the heart.
The two Temecula wineries that made the short Wall Street Journal list of best Muscat Canelli Wines were: Maurice Car’rie ’06 for about $12.95 and Callaway’s ’05 for about $18. Check them out at www.mauricecarriewinery.com.
and www.callawaywinery.com.
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