Wine & Spirits Blog
For a time I kept a separate blog to journal my wine discoveries. It was mostly a personal journal to help me discern what I liked most about different wines that I tried, and I thought it would be nice to share it with others. It soon fell under neglect mostly because I was trying so many wines so frequently I couldn't keep up with journaling. This blog has also been my priority. Since the handy new labels feature that blogger added, it's become simplest to merge them into one and label my posts accordingly, so this blog will also feature my tasting notes. I can't imagine how many people actually come here to read my posts, but, no matter what brought you here, you'll be seeing more posts about wine & spirits. I'm also adding a "What's Uncorked" item to note what I have uncorked at the moment.
The bottle I'm finishing now is a 2005 Sutter Home Moscato from Napa Valley. I first tried a Moscato d'Asti from the Piedmont region in northern Italy, famous for their Moscato d'Asti and recently famous for the 2006 Olympic Winter games held in Torino. There is a little gift shop in Covington, LA called the Grape Vine. The owners personally import cases of Italian wine to sell in their shop and gladly offered a friend and I a taste test last summer while passing through. My favorite wine of theirs was a Barbera d'Asti, a dryer red wine. After tasting the heavier cousin, the Moscato d'Asti tasted like liquid candy. I found this American Moscato several months ago and saved it until recently, because I don't drink much white wine in the winter. With the spring-like weather my passion for red wines has subsided for a time and the only white I had to open was this Sutter Home Moscato.
Moscato is one of the lighter white wines you'll find, known mostly as an after dinner wine. It's even lighter than Sauvignon Blanc. It's very delicate, mild, and very sweet. I found the Sutter Home to be slightly less sweet than the Piedmont. It has the aroma and slight twang of grapefruit, similar to Sauvignon Blanc. When you can't find a good Piedmont Moscato d'Asti for less than $20, the Sutter Home is the way to go for under $8. Cheers!
2 comments:
Hi, we grow Moscato here in Piedmont. Here moscato is usually drink "fresh" (within a year) to get the maximum fruit flavour.
In Piedmont moscato is usually 5% alcohol - what percentage is the US version?
Hey Phil! So glad you left a comment. It is great to hear from someone who makes such an incredible wine. I'm so glad you commented because I forgot to mention that Moscato is meant to be drunk "fresh." It reminds me also of Beaujolais (for those that don't know, a very light fruity red wine also meant to be drunk "fresh").
This is the first American Moscato I've tried. It has an alcohol content of 9.5%, which I noticed was higher than the Piedmonts I had tried. Without a doubt I would prefer a Piedmont Moscato anyday, but they are sometimes hard to find here in Louisiana. Until I found this Napa Valley Moscato, I would usually settle for a Gewurztraminer from Washington State. It's not as light or as sweet as Moscato, but I found it's lighter than Sauvignon Blanc without the tangy flavor.
I added a link to your blog on my site. I'll be reading with interest. Good luck with the vineyard!
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