Many people ask me what’s the difference between Muscat , Muscadelle, and Muscadet. What follows is some information for you to keep it all straight the next time you go into your favorite wine shop….
Let’s tackle muscat first. The many pseudonyms for this grape include moscato (in Italy ), muskadel (in South Africa ), muskateller (in Germany ) and moscatel (in both Spain and Portugal ). Why can’t everybody just agree on one name? Life would be too easy. To make it even more confusing, muscat can have various names attached to it, such as “ Alexandria ”, “Ottonel”, and the rather lengthy phrase “Blanc à Petits Grains”. But don’t be too concerned with these appendages – they’re just different varieties of the same grape, and all will be extremely perfumed and grapey. Dry or sweet; still, sparkling, or fortified: muscat has a distinct aroma and flavor that is delectably delicious.
Next there’s muscadelle, which is not related to muscat at all. As one of the three grapes allowed for white Bordeaux (the other two more notable grapes being sauvignon blanc and sémillon), muscadelle is commonly used to add a tangy, grapey youthfulness to white Bordeaux blends. It seldom gets top billing because it lacks the components necessary to make a single varietal wine you’d call yummy. The one exception to this rule is in Australia , where muscadelle is useon its own to produce lusciously sweet fortified wines. The grape is called “tokay” there. Don’t ask why.
Finally there’s muscadet. A popular LIGHT, DRY wine produced in the western portion of France's Loire region. Unlike most other wines in France, the name is not taken from a town or geographic are, but rather from a grape known locally as Muscadet, althoughits proper name is (Melon de Bourgogne). Although it can be a bit neutral in flavor, muscadet is dry with crisp acidity, making it a great match for shellfish. You might see the term “sur lie” on the label. If you do, make sure to buy it; it’s been aged on the lees, and this lends a delicious richness to the wine.
Both Carolyn and I were in Loire, France back in 2002 and stayed at a chateau in Nante, France, which is the region where some muscadet wine is produced The owners name was Suzanne who was a widow with two lovely girls. One of Suzanne's friends even took Daniel, my steps son, on a 4-wheeler ride though the chateau's vinyeards one night Suzanne was a charming host to us and we will never forget her hospitallity and kindness. Below is a picture of the chateau that we stayed at durring our stay in Loire region of France.