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Muscat Canelli
This grape is a mysterious seductress! A dyed in the wool Cabernet drinker will melt at the first whiff of heady, floral Muscat Canelli.
Mysterious? It appears to be living under a number of assumed names. There are numerous grapes called Muscat, many of them redundant. Let’s talk about what it is before we address what it isn’t. In America, it’s usually called Muscat Blanc or Muscat Canelli. In France, it goes by Muscat a Petits Grains or Muscat de Frontignan. The Italians call it Moscato, whether Moscato Bianco, Moscato d’Asti, Moscato di Canelli or some other regional moniker.
A Grape with a Past
It’s the oldest cultivated grape in France, most likely brought to Frontignan, by the Romans. The official French name, Muscat a Petits Grains, is a mouthful but it’s also descriptive of the attribute that makes it the most distinctive of the Muscat family: it translate as “muscat with small berries”. Small berries are often more flavorful berries and the flavor intensity is what sets it apart from the garden variety Muscat Alexandria, Muscat Ottonel or Muscat Hamburg.
Its ancient origins make it particularly subject to mutation, which adds to the mystery. While it’s most often white, as various names imply, mutations may be pink, red or brown! And white Muscat, harvested in a very mature state may appear nicely bronzed!
Remarkable Perfume
Muscat Canelli is a survivor, no doubt, because few can resist its incredible perfume. The French have a term, musqué, to describe clones of other varieties with notable floral, muscat-like perfume. Expect stone fruit, lychee, orange blossom and a bit of spice.
Because of these characteristics, it lends itself to particularly well to sweet wines. If you’re a fan of the rich Muscat de Beaume de Venise of southern France or the delightful Moscato d’Asti of Northern Italy, you’ve been drinking Muscat Canelli! It also makes lovely, refreshing sparkling wine and is the grape of Asti Spumante. In fact, Muscat Canelli is the fourth most planted variety in Italy!
It’s early to bud in the spring and to harvest in the fall, so it’s no surprise that it does well in moderately warm, Mediterranean climates. Canelli is not particularly vigorous and is quite susceptible to poor fruit set and bunch rot. This makes is a great candidate for most parts of warm, dry California. It’s also grown in Australia and South Africa.
Dessert in a Glass!
Many a Muscat Canelli wine, including Goosecross Muscat Canelli, is so sweetly delicious it can be served in place of dessert. Light, low alcohol styles are delicious with fresh fruit, especially strawberries, peaches and apricots, and with fruit-based desserts: pies, tarts, strawberry cheesecake. Fortified Muscat, such as Beaume de Venise, is wonderful with richer desserts such as crème brûlée, grilled peaches with zabaglione, chocolate covered fruit, blue cheese and most any kind of nuts! Are you getting hungry? Cheers!
Common synonyms: Muscat Blanc; Muscat a petits grains; Moscato d’Asti; Muscat de Frontignan
More recipes, paired with wine
Flavor profile: orange blossom, lychee fruit, apricot, peach, grapey, spice
Weight: Table and sparkling wine: light Fortified: full bodied
Chenin Blanc
Common synonyms: Chenin, Pineau de la Loire, Pineau d’Anjou, Steen
Believe it or not, there was a time when Chenin Blanc was the most popular white wine in Napa Valley before it was eclipsed by Chardonnay and fell into relative obscurity. In its home in the Loire Valley of France, where it’s often called Pineau de la Loire, it’s a variety that’s cherished for its delicate aromas of honeyed fruit, flowers and hay and also for its remarkable versatility. In that part of the world it makes many styles: delicate dry white wine, slightly sweet wine, sparkling wine and even exquisite late-harvest wines.
This is not to say that it isn’t grown much outside of France anymore but, in most regions, it’s relegated to the role of a work-horse blending grape. In California, it’s grown mainly in the San Joaquin Valley and blended with other white varieties to make every-day white wine. The vine itself is vigorous and capable of producing large yields, so it lends itself to that role. But, as the yields goes up, the flavors are increasingly diluted and the varietal character is lost. It’s prone to high-acid, which is a blessing in our warm climate and can be a curse some years in the cooler Loire Valley.
You can find a few brands of Napa Valley Chenin Blanc, if you hunt for them and, even though they’re not plentiful, these few are made by winemakers who understand what Chenin Blanc can be. They’re typically very flavorful and usually dry. Some are barrel aged, or even barrel-fermented, Chardonnay style. Our winemaker at Goosecross finds that a touch of sweetness accentuates the honeyed character, so our slightly-sweet wine is an exception.
South Africa has come on strong with Chenin Blanc and is now the world’s largest Chenin Blanc grower by far, dedicating about 17% of its wine-grape acreage to the variety that was known there as Steen. There are both excellent and disappointing examples. It’s grown all over the US and in other parts of the world but, through no fault of its own, most of the wines aren’t interesting.
Because of its many faces, pairing Chenin Blanc with food depends upon the style. Its high acidity predisposes it to be food friendly. The Chardonnay-like styles pair well with seafood and other light fare. Fruity examples will be delicious with sweet proteins like duck and pork. You can seal the match by using some fruit, honey or some of the wine in your preparation. The slightly sweet examples are a great counterpoint to hot and spicy Asian and Indian cuisine and are good companions for almost any cheese. You can find delicious recipes to pair with our Chenin Blanc in Colleen’s Kitchen.
Flavor profile: floral, honey, hay, melon
Weight: Light (except late harvest)
Chardonnay
June 19, 2007 by David
Filed under Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fresh apple, pear and citrus–crisp with maybe some minerality? Or big, round, buttery and oaky? What goes on here? What is Chardonnay’s true identity? It seems to be all of the above. It’s quite a malleable variety that some say has little varietal distinction to call its own, yet it’s a beautiful showcase for terroir and also for the winemaker’s bag of tricks.
Join Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education, for the first in a series of podcasts covering the major wine varietals.
NVWR® 22 – Understanding Wine Names
August 8, 2006 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Varietal, Meritage, proprietary and place names: If you’ve wondered about all the various ways we name wines and what the names communicate to you as a consumer, please join Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education, for an investigation.
