🍇 Muscadelle
A white grape from Bordeaux, added to the sweet wines of Sauternes.
Muscadelle is a white grape from Bordeaux in south-western France. It is rarely found alone and usually goes into sweet wines as a small addition. It is added to the sweet wines of Sauternes, Barsac, Cadillac, Cérons and other places. The base of such wines is Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, while Muscadelle contributes aroma.
The name recalls Muscat, and the aroma is similar: floral, with notes of grape, peach and honey. But in origin it is not related to the Muscats. The grape itself is rather weak and fussy: the berries are sensitive to disease, so its share in vineyards is small.
Muscadelle also grows in Bergerac and Monbazillac, where it goes into sweet and dry wines. In Australia, in the Rutherglen area, it is used for a fortified wine called Topaque, sweet and thick.
It is an example of a grape whose role is not to be the main one but to adorn. Without it sweet wines would be less aromatic.
How it connects to Wine
🍇 Muscadelle → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Origin
- 🗺️ French wine
- Where it grows
- 📍 Bordeaux, 📜 Bergerac
- Main grape in
- France: 📜 Sauternes, 📜 Barsac, 📍 Entre-Deux-Mers, 📜 Monbazillac, 📜 Cadillac, 📜 Cérons, 📜 Gaillac Premières Côtes, 📜 Rosette, 📜 Côtes de Montravel, 📜 Graves Supérieures
- Wines made from it
- 🍷 Fortified wine
- Parents
- 🍇 Gouais Blanc
Frequently asked questions
What is Muscadelle?
A white grape from Bordeaux added to sweet wines for aroma.
Which wines contain Muscadelle?
Sweet wines of Sauternes, Barsac and other places, and wines of Bergerac.
Is Muscadelle related to Muscat?
No; the name and aroma are similar, but it is not related to Muscats.
What to read next
- 🗺️ French wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 📜 Sauternes — The famous sweet white wines of Bordeaux from grapes with noble rot.
- 🍇 Gouais Blanc — An old white grape of Central Europe; an ancestor of Chardonnay, Riesling and Gamay.
- 📍 Entre-Deux-Mers — The hills between the Garonne and the Dordogne.
- 📜 Monbazillac — A well-known sweet white wine from nobly rotten grapes, made south of Bergerac.
Similar
🍇 Sémillon · 🍇 Sauvignon Blanc · 🍇 Sauvignon Gris · 🍇 Ribier · 🍇 Gouget Noir · 🍇 Gros Verdot