Muscadine is one of the few wines in the world made with actual American grapes. It is among the cluster of sipping wines. While it should not be confused with Musca or Moscato, Muscadine uses a unique grape variety native to America. Traditionally, it has been making dry and port-style wine with tapers stretching back to the 16th century. While Muscadine wine was first made in St. Augustine, Florida, it now has wide roots in America’s southeastern states.
The True American Grapes
It is classified as a sweet wine from Native America Grapes, and winemakers often add sugar to the wine while producing it. The grape does well in warm, humid climates, and its colours range from bronze/copper to black but will remain green till they ripen.
While the berries are eaten once ripe, they are difficult to chew due to their thick skins. To eat them, you need to puncture this skin and suck out the sweet flesh. These skins are rich in polyphenols, which have plenty of healthy antioxidants useful to the body.
Muscadine Grapes and their Wine Varieties
The Muscadine grape can produce both white and red wine due to its array of colours and are both considered medium-bodied. The white wines have a banana and white flower flavours, while the red wines have ripe red fruit, lime, salt, and a tinge of pine resin. As Muscadine wine has an oxidative nature, we recommend that you consume it while it is young and for maximum enjoyment, drink it chilled.
Depending on how well you tend to your vineyard, a Muscadine grape can grow to the size of a golf ball. Due to this immense size, it is more convenient to hand-harvest them rather than machine harvesting. A single vine will give you in the upwards of 100 pounds of grape at a time with the right techniques.
While dry versions of Muscadine wine exist, the wines are often bumped with sugar during their winemaking process to increase their alcohol content and make it sweeter. Actually, they have low sugar content.
The Muscadine taste
Muscadine wine is so sweet that it is almost classified as a dessert wine. We can hear the spasms of excitement from the wine lover within you, and you should be excited. The wine has unique properties, and it is reminiscent of a bouquet of sweet ripe fruits doused with a bit of acid in it that you get to feel at the back of your tongue. While rich, its flavors can be slightly overwhelming to first-time drinkers, but this is due to the uniqueness that is accompanied with each bottle. Below are some of their flavors:
- Honeydew
- Lime
- Ripe banana
- Cranberry
- Bruised apple
- Rubber cement (only in some varieties)
The wine has a 10-13% alcohol content, is exceptionally fruity, and has a moderate sweetness. Of course, we have mentioned above that the wine is medium-light bodied and has a medium-high acidity level. Remember to avoid storing it for long to avoid oxidation. Unlike other wines, this one does not grow richer with time; it is already rich when it lands onto your doorstep.
Final Thoughts
Next time you step out to shop for wine rich in American blend, pick out a bottle of Muscadine for a one-of-a-kind experience. Muscadine’s other great thing is that you will get both white and red wine and all at a consistently rich and sweet taste that you will grow to love. Happy wining from wherever you are. And remember to keep your wine Muscadine and American.
