I love Moscato over summer, the best are slightly sweet but the acid and spritz can be so refreshing. The generally low alcohol is also a bonus. With this in mind, I sought out 17 Moscato based current release wins from both Australia and Italy to taste and decide what I would be buying to drink over the next couple of months.
All wines were tasted blind over a couple of nights. Prices are approximate.
Wirra Wirra Mrs Wigley Moscato 2007:
Peach tinted straw colour. Really good visual fizz/bead. Lovely ripe peach and grape nose. Softly sweet on the palate, but the acid and bubbles come through and cleans the sweetness up in a wave, leaving the desire for another sip inevitable. Excellent.
Crown Seal. 5.5% alcohol. 500ml. $20 – 91/100
Cascinetta Vietti Moscato D’Asti 2006:
Very fine, persistent bead. Very pale straw coloured. Floral, spice, apricot and musk on the nose. Sparkles on the palate. Absolutely delicious.
Cork. 5.5% alcohol. 375ml. $22 – 90/100
Two Hands Brilliant Disguise Moscato 2007:
Pale straw colour. Fine, constant bead. Floral, citrus and musky characters shown on the vibrant nose. Very clean, crisp flavours. Good acid, only tastes lightly sweet thanks to the acid and spritz.
Cork. 7% alcohol. 500ml. $18 – 89/100
Marenco Scrapona Moscato D’Asti 2005:
Very pale colour. Good fizz with quite a bit of mousse at first. Musky, floral, lemon and lots of peach aromas. Light, fresh and clean palate with subtle sweetness. Very enjoyable, but a bit too short to be great.
Cork. 5.5% alcohol. 750ml. $33 – 88/100
Castello del Poggio Moscato D’Asti 2005:
Mid-straw colour. Great bead, very persistent. Intense nose of musk, pear, peach and honey. Sweetness is present but it is one of many dimensions rather than the only one. Acid cleanses the palate. Needs to be drunk now.
Cork. 5.5% alcohol. 750ml. $10 – 88/100
Tempus Two Copper Moscato 2007:
Straw coloured. Slow rising, fine bead. Blueberry, tropical fruit and passionfruit. The palate is dry, with only a very slight sweetness coming through. Medium length.
Crown Seal. 7% alcohol. 750ml. $20 – 87/100
Innocent Bystander Moscato 2007:
Pale pink colour. A bit yeasty at first, but that blew off quickly and showed strawberry, musk and citrus. Fine and persistent bead in the glass. Full flavoured palate, fresh flavour but maybe a little too heavy though. Fun to drink, but a glass was enough.
Crown Seal. 5.5% alcohol. 375ml. $11 – 85/100
Kay Brothers Amery Vineyards Moscato 2007:
Very pale, a tinge of yellow. Visibly fizzy only briefly on pouring. Nose is pretty closed, some grape and soft citrus notes only. Palate is dry and a little bit tart in comparison to some of the previous wines. I don’t mind the dry aspect and the acid is good, but there isn’t much depth to it.
Crown Seal, but with a cork inlay. 7.5% alcohol. 750ml. $17 – 85/100
Tosti Moscato d’Asti NV:
Pale colour. Bubbles only stay in the glass briefly. Apples and some floral aromas. Palate is a bit cloying on the front palate, the acid picks up a bit on the middle and the freshness improves as a result. Finishes a bit short.
Cork. 4.5% alcohol. 750ml. $20 – 84/100
De Bortoli Emeri Bianco NV:
Straw colour. Good stream of bubbles on pouring with some mousse. Lemon and floral aromas. Soft sweetness to the palate, with a touch of bitterness at the back.
Diamante Cork. 8% alcohol. 750ml. $12 – 84/100
Stella Bella Pink Muscat 2007:
Pink tinged peach colour. Strawberry, cranberry, cherry. Not very much fizz/frizzante. Very sweet on the palate, probably a bit too sweet, without the acid to back it up it ends up a bit cloying and doesn’t taste refreshing. Alright only.
Screwcap. 7% alcohol. 375ml. $18 – 84/100
Banrock Station Moscato 2007:
Light straw colour. Light fizz dissipates quickly. Nose shows apples and grapes. Simple palate, slightly sweet and with some crisp acid as well. Without fault, but also without any depth.
Screwcap. 5.5% alcohol. 750ml. $5.60 – 83/100
Brown Brothers Moscato 2007:
Straw coloured. Simple grape and lemon nose. Not much spritz. A tangy element to the clean tasting palate, just a touch of sweetness.
Cork. 5.5% alcohol. 750ml. $12 – 83/100
Long Flat Moscato 2007:
Bubbles only stay in the glass briefly and are gone. Straw colour. Blueberries, pineapple and lemon on the nose. Quite simple and sweet on the palate and it doesn’t really have the acid to counter.
Screwcap. 5.5% alcohol. 750ml. $7 – 82/100
Dan Murphy’s Cleanskin Private Bin Moscato 2007:
Coarse, lazy bubbles. Nose is mute and boring. Fair bit of sweetness initially but there is some acid that comes through afterward on the mid palate. Finishes very short.
Cork. 6.5% alcohol. 750ml. $7 – 80/100
Grant Burge Moscato 2007:
Muted, grapey nose. Palate is thin and dilute, no carry or even much flavour. Insipid.
Screwcap. 9% alcohol. 750ml. $12 – 79/100
Warburn Estate Stephendale Winemakers Reserve Moscato 2007:
Pale straw colour. Spritz dissipates straight after pouring. Nose is bland, some grape aromas, maybe a bit of peach and not much else. Palate is cloyingly sweet, lacks any vibrancy – misses the point of these wines.
Cork. 5% alcohol. 750ml. $10 – 78/100