Moscato

Moscato is a family of nine distinct grapes, which produce very perfumed, aromatic wines. They are loved and planted all over Italy.

In the Italian wine tradition, Moscato is closely associated with sweet wines. The most important of them is sweet, low-alcohol sparkling wine, such as Moscato d’Asti. Dessert wines are produced in a range of styles: vendemmia tardiva made from late harvest grapes (also known as da uve stramature in Sardinia or dolce naturale in Puglia), passito from air-dried grapes, and liquoroso in a fortified style.

Read our Guide to Moscato wine.

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Guide to Moscato Wine

Though the dry Moscato style is permitted in many denominations, the best place to find high-quality dry Moscato is Valle d’Aosta. Italian sommeliers say it’s because while the rest of Italy take their Moscato sweet, Valle d’Aosta is closely linked with France, where the dry style is more common.

Moscato Bianco

Moscato Bianco is the most popular of all Moscato grapes. With over 11,500 hectares under vine, it is the seventh most widely planted white grape in Italy. In southern Italy, Moscato Bianco was once referred to as Moscato Reale – the Royal Moscato. In France, this grape is known as Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains, and it is one of the most prized grapes of Alsace. In German-speaking regions it is known as Gelber Muskateller.

Sparkling Moscato Bianco wines

Sparkling Moscato Bianco wines offer flavours of white flowers (orange blossom, jasmine), guava, and pear drop candy. Without doubt, the best examples of Moscato Bianco sparkling wine come from Asti DOCG in Piemonte. Being such an important part of Italy’s wine world, read our page specifically dedicated to Asti DOCG and Moscato d’Asti DOCG wines.

Sweet Moscato wine: Uve Stramature, Passito, Dolce Naturale and Liquoroso

Moscato Bianco dessert wine is a quintessential part of Italian festive culture. It’s the perfect match for Christmas pannetone and sweet pastries. The best Moscato sweet wines have aromas of dried mango, pineapple, acacia honey, apricot, peach, cooked pear and caramel.

Sweet Moscato wine is made from over-ripe grapes with concentrated acids, sugars and flavours. There are different levels of concentration, creating wines with higher levels of sugar and alcohol.

Vendemmia tardiva (late harvest) grapes – also known as uve stramature – are left on the vines to over-ripen. Grapes can be harvested late in the autumn, after the concentration of sugars has reaches its peak. The term “vendemmia tardiva” is widely used for Moscato wines across Italy. But they are referred to as “da uve stramature” in Sardinia, and dolce naturale in Puglia.

Passito Moscato grapes are first left to over-ripen as late harvest grapes. After the harvest, they are laid on well-aerated racks and dried further, until they almost become raisins. In the north, where winter comes early, grape bunches are dried indoors. One technique of drying is to hand bunches of grapes are on twines from ceiling beams - this method is called picài or torcolato. Another way is to dry grapes in boxes (fruttai) in well-ventilated lofts - fruttaio. At the end of the drying process, the level of sugar in passito grapes can reach as high as 250 g/l.

Liquoroso is a fortified style of sweet Moscato wine. To produce it, winemakers adds grape spirit, bringing the level of alcohol to 17-18% ABV. This interrupts fermentation, keeping the high level of sugar in the wine.

Notable denominations

Moscato Bianco is permitted in 28 DOCs and 102 IGTs across Italy. But a few denominations are entirely focussed on this grape.

Moscadello di Montalcino DOC is nested in the heartlands of Tuscany, alongside the famous Brunello di Montalcino. Yet the only grape permitted in Moscadello di Montalcino is Moscato Bianco. This denomination produces wines in several styles. Tranquillo (literally: calm) is the still white version offering flavours of orange blossom, pears, and aromatic herbs. Sparkling Frizzante offers gentle bubble. Both Frizzante and Tranquillo versions are delightfully refreshing summer wines, which are supposed to be enjoyed young.

Moscadello di Montalcino Vendemmia Tardiva (late harvest) is produced from the best grapes. 50% of the grapes can be dried in fruttaio, similar to how passito wines are made. This wine can be cellared for many years, developing aromas of dried apricots and almonds. Vendemmia Tardiva is the traditional dessert wine of Tuscany, and its classical pairings include sweet pastry and blue cheese.

Moscato di Sorso-Sennori DOC is a tiny denomination in Sardinia. It occupies only 8 hectares on the north-east coast, around the tiny towns of Sorso and Sennori. It is thought to produce the finest Moscato wines in Sardinia. Harvests are kept at a low level of 9 tonnes per hectare, which forces wineries to use only the best grapes. Sorso-Sennori produces wines in several styles: Bianco (14% ABV), Passito (16% ABV), Liquoroso (min. 17.5% ABV), and sparkling spumante.

Moscato di Sardegna DOC covers the whole territory of Sardinia, with Moscato Bianco being the only permitted grape. Though this denomination produces some outstanding wines, it’s not so selective as Sorso-Sennori, and permits harvests of up to 11 tonnes per hectare. Four styles of Moscato wine with varying alcoholic strength are permitted: dry bianco (min. 14% ABV), passito (min. 16% ABV), late-harvest da uve stramature (min. 15% ABV), and spumante. Moscato di Sardegna produces about 100,000 bottles of wine per annum (2019).

Wine to try: Siddùra "Nùali" Passito, Moscato di Sardegna DOC.

Moscato di Trani DOC is located in north Puglia, around the town of Trani. The only permitted grape in this denomination is Moscato Bianco, which locals call Moscato Reale. However, wineries can add up to 15% other white grapes from the province of Bari. The rules are less stringent and allow producers to harvest up to 12 tonnes per hectare. Wine can be made in two styles: sweet and fortified. The sweet style is known as Moscato di Trani Dolce Naturale (12.5% ABV) and is made from late-harvest, overripe grapes. Moscato di Trani Liquoroso (18% ABV) is the fortified style, which is produced by interrupting fermentation with added grape spirit. Sweetness can be adjusted by adding concentrated grape must.

Noto DOC is renowned for its award-winning wines made from 100% Moscato Bianco. It’s located near Syracuse in south-east Sicily. Dry “Moscato di Noto”, sweet “Moscato Passito di Noto”, fortified “Moscato di Noto Liquoroso”, and sparkling “Moscato di Noto Spumante” wines are produced.

Interestingly, Noto also permits red wines made from Nero d’Avola and other local red grapes: Noto Rosso DOC from 65% Nero d’Avola, and Noto Nero d’Avola DOC from at least 85% Nero d’Avola.

Zibibbo (Moscato di Alessandria)

Zibibbo is an aromatic grape from the Moscato family, known also as Moscato di Alessandria / Muscat of Alexandria. The name suggests that this grape comes from Alexandria, the ancient capital of Egypt. It can be found around the Mediterranean basin, and most likely was spread by the Romans. In fact, in France this grape is known as Muscat Romain. The Sicilian word “Zibibbo” comes from the arabic word zabib, which means raisin.

Passito di Pantelleria DOC is the most loved sweet passito wine in Italy. This wine comes from the small island of Pantelleria, which rests in the sea halfway between Sicily and Tunisia. Made from the Zibibbo grape, Passito di Pantelleria wine offers flavours of orange blossom, dried apricots and honey, with a pleasant almond finish.

Being true artists of Moscato wine, Pantelleria’s wineries offer more versions than any other denomination in Italy. Moscato di Pantelleria wine is made from mostly fresh grapes. Pantelleria Zibibbo Dolce is the entry-level sweet wine of the island. For the signature sweet Zibibbo wine, go for Passito di Pantelleria. This wine must be made almost entirely from sun-dried grapes. Winemakers are allowed to dry grapes right on the vines, letting the wind and the sun turn them into raisins. Or, grapes can be harvested and sun-dried on the racks.

Pantelleria offers several sweet fortified options. Pantelleria Moscato Liquoroso (min. 15% ABV) is prepared by fermenting fresh grapes. The fermentation is stopped by adding grape spirit, which keeps lots of unfermented sugar in the wine. Pantelleria Moscato Liquoroso (min. 15% ABV) can only be made from dried grapes. Pantelleria Moscato Dorato is the most concentrated of all fortified versions of Pantelleria, with the highest level of alcohol (15.5% ABV).

Dry Pantelleria Bianco and sparkling Pantelleria Frizzante are also produced.

Moscato Giallo

Moscato Giallo (yellow Muscat), though less widely planted across Italy (827 ha), is the most important member of the family in the Alpine region of Trentino Alto-Adige. There it is known as Goldmuskateller. This grape with golden skin produces wines with aromas of yellow flowers, tropical fruits and sweet spices.

In Trentino DOC, the small superiore sub-zone around the medieval castle of Beseno is devoted to the production of wines made solely from Moscato Giallo. It is located 20 km east of the northernmost tip of Lake Garda. On the label, such wines are marked as Trentino Superiore Castel Beseno DOC or Trentino Superiore Beseno DOC. Moscato Giallo wines are produced in dry, vendemmia tardiva, and passito styles.

The DOCG that is fully committed to Moscato Giallo is Colli Euganei Fior D’Arancio DOCG. Located west of the city of Padova in Veneto, it produces wines in a range of styles: dry bianco, spumante and passito with a minimum alcoholic strength of 15.5% ABV.

In economic terms it’s an important denomination, producing around one million bottles of Moscato wine each year.

Moscato Rosa

Moscato Rosa fascinates its devoted aficionados with flavours of fresh red rose, which explain its name. This grape produces valuable dessert wines with flavours of dried rose petals, candied red, fruits and oriental spices. This grape is very rare, with only 66 hectares planted throughout Italy. It’s mostly discovered in the north, in Trentino-Alto Adige, where it’s known as Rosenmuskateller.

Wine to try: Kurtatsch "Ushas" Rosenmuskateller Passito from the Bassa Atesina area in Alto Adige.

Moscato di Scanzo

Moscato di Scanzo is another very rare red Moscato grape. Scanzo DOCG uses it to produces tiny quantities of sweet passito red wine, which enjoys an outstanding reputation. The Scanzo DOCG denomination is nested in the Bergamo Hills, north-east of the city of Bergamo in Lombardia. Bunches of slightly over-ripe Moscato di Scanzo grapes, without the influence of botrytis, are hand-harvested in October. Grapes are typically dried indoors until December. After fermentation, the wine is aged for at least two years before release. Moscato di Scanzo has a remarkable potential for ageing and development in bottle.

Other members of the Moscato family

Other members of the Moscato family include white varietals Moscato Ottonel and Moscato di Terracina, as well as red grapes: Moscato d'Amburgo, and Moscato Nero di Acqui.

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