Matched: Moscato in the morning

Louise Johnson

Brown Brothers Moscato

When McGuigan's brought their vineyard and cellar door to central Melbourne last year, complete with vines planted on Swanston Street, I was very surprised to learn that the light, floral, spritzy wine I was offered as an aperitif to the night's tastings was a moscato. 

Muscat wines, know as moscato in Italy, moscatel or muscat vary from the refreshingly low alcohol, sweet and frothy Asti Spumante, through to bone dry to sweet, high alcohol wines.

My experience of muscat had been restricted to cloying, sticky dessert wines which mother's generation served over ice. I thought moscato was a wine of the 80s - big hair, frills and for drinking like tea, with a spoonful of sugar and a chocolate biscuit.

But the Australian moscato appearing on the market this year aren't like that at all. The majority are low in alcohol and at least lightly sweet, making them ideal accompaniments to fruit and fruit-based desserts, but they can also hold their own alongside light meals, especially the sweet/savoury combinations favoured in Melbourne's favourite pasttime - brunch.

The best known internationally of this style of moscato are wines from the Asti region of Italy in two different forms, a sparkling Asti version and the more lightly fizzy and less alcoholic Moscato d'Asti, which is emulated here.

These fizzante wines make a great alternative to champagne as an opening aperitif or, my new favourite, a moscato breakfast.

At the McGuigan event Neil McGuigan was delighted with the McGuigan Discover Moscato. He says lower alcohol wines with light, floral flavours are on the rise.

“It’s the texture and the light, floral lift that consumers are craving and wine styles are moving into the floral end of the spectrum. The wine styles that people want to drink evolve all the time and moscato is well and truly delivering on the current trends,” he says.

I've served moscato on it's own. I've served it with a board of marinated goats cheese, prosciutto, fresh figs, a zesty olive oil and thick slices of fresh bread as an informal lunch.  But my favourite combination is a healthy helping of ricotta pancakes slathered in honey and whatever fresh fruit I can find - just lately delicious green figs from the fig tree down the side of our house. But strawberries have been divine and blueberries mixed into the batter are also fantastic.

Try these:

Wirra Wirra Mrs Wigley Moscato 2008 $18
At just 6.8 percent alcohol, Mrs Wigley's pink moscato has a lovely floral nose with a sniff of orange and berry finish and just a tiny tingle of fizz.

McGuigan Discover Moscato 2008 $16
Almost sweet, with a hint of turkish delight floating in this delicately scented wine. Pale, with a slight fizz and crisp slightly lemon finish.

Brown Brothers Moscato 2007 $14
A hint of ginger and tiny alcohol, fresh, spicy and a lot sweeter that the other two, but still delicious.

With these:

Ricotta Pankcakes
The ricotta adds a tiny savoury note to these pancakes and slight fizz of the moscato cuts into the sticky honey. We are lucky to have some fresh comb honey from the Honey House in Mudgee to drizzle on top.

This recipe makes about 16 small pancakes

300g ricotta
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking poweder
2 eggs - separated
1 tbsp honey
10g butter

To serve:
Fresh fruit - figs, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or a mix of all
1/4 cup honey

Sieve flour and baking power and mix with the ricotta, milk, egg yolks and honey until smooth. Beat egg whites until firm peaks form and fold into ricotta. Melt butter in a non-stick frypan on low heat and drop small spoonfuls of mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden, turn and cook on the other side. Serve with fruit and drizzle over honey.

Regions

• Hunter Valley (NSW)
• McLaren Vale (SA)
• Glenrowan (VIC)

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