Mind Bottling Ch. 2- I Say Muscat, You Say Moscato!

Moscato........

Let's be honest, just the sheer name brings the biggest smile to some, and the biggest groan out of others.  Many will remember their adventure into wine loving by starting off with Moscato from the convenience store.  They will discuss the headaches, the super sweet fizzy fun of their younger days, as they sit sipping their intensely bold Cabernet.  Others swear they will never stop drinking it, and revel in the fact that our store sells so many different varieties.  Then there are the few purists, the ones who will absolutely swear up and down, that Moscato isn't really a wine.  Never was there a varietal that really sparks so many intense feelings.

Here at The Grape, we get it.  We hear it all day.  It's fun.  Even Merlot didn't get the rep after the movie, Sideways, that Moscato seems to get these days. But do many people know of the rich history of Moscato?  Or how amazing Moscato is from Texas?!

Let's start at the beginning.

The Muscat grape was most prominently grown in the Piedmont region of Italy, and possibly originated in the Middle East or Greece.  That solely depends on who you ask, or what you read.  Certain Muscat varieties can also be eaten as a table grape.  Traditionally, Moscato is light, fizzy and sweet with low alcohol.  If you have noticed, all of the sudden, that Moscato has really risen in popularity, you aren't alone.  In doing some research on the grape, we were surprised to hear that Hip Hop music has played a surprising role in the increased popularity.  We suppose we shouldn't be surprised.  Look what happened to Cristal sales in the 90's.  But we always figured it was because everyone who goes to Olive Garden is offered a sample of their house Moscato.

Texas is BIG on the Moscato scene!  So many don't realize just how much Moscato Texas grows.  Typically, the wines here in Texas are definitely higher in alcohol than the rest of the world.  Typically, Moscato feature 5-8% ABV.  Texas will start at around 10%, and we find that the average is about 12.5%  Be warned. You may also find that Texas Moscato isn't as sweet because of the higher ABV. Here at The Rustic Grape, our most popular Moscato is actually from Kiepersol, and it features flavors of crisp alcohol and sits high at 13.2%.  We have a truly classic Italian style in Val Verde's Muscat Canelli.  Then, just to throw you for a loop, we feature Opal, by Majek Vineyards.  An off dry Orange Muscat and Muscat Blanc blend that is all the latest rage for drinkers of all styles of wine, and Kitty from Pillar Bluff is a great version of sweet Orange Muscat.  Orange Muscat is our favorite version of Moscato grape that is grown in Texas.  When it is ready to harvest, the entire vineyard will smell of Orange Blossoms, and it's easy to pick up on the delicate flavor, as well.

Prominent flavors of Moscato are peach, nectarine, honeysuckle and orange.  Most people drink Moscato without eating, but have you paired Moscato? If not, you are truly missing out on literal fireworks in your mouth!  Our favorite foods to pair with Moscato is Chinese food, or spicy Thai, or a super tangy Key Lime Pie.  Try it! You won't be disappointed.  Sweet wines go very well with spicy, as it balances the intensity in your mouth,

We invite you down to The Rustic Grape to include a couple of Moscato wines on your tasting.  You just may be pleasantly surprised. Cheers!

Drink Texas Wine Ep. 3- Majek Opal

This episode of Drink Texas Wine is about Opal from Majek Vineyard & Winery in Moravia, TX.

This is an off dry Orange Muscat/Muscat Blanc blend that is absolutely perfect, if not downright necessary, for the hot summer months ahead!

Drink Texas Wine!: Ep. 2- Freedom

Welcome back, y'all!  Today, we discussed Freedom Red, an amazing, wonderful, complex, yet smooth blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec from Singing Water in Comfort, TX!  Freedom is a top 10 seller at our store, and one sip, it's easy to see, or taste, why!



FYI- this is a great time to mention that with valid Military ID, you can take 10% off of all bottles purchased here at The Rustic Grape!



Cheers Y'all!

Mind Bottling! Chapter 1: Texas Black Spanish

Something that all these pictured Texas wines have in common, is a grape called Lenoir (Len-wah), or better known in Texas as Black Spanish. This American hybrid grape is believed to have started in South Carolina dating back to the 1830's.  However, legends will state the Spanish missionaries may have brought the grape to Texas as early as the late 17th century, and for many decades, was the main grape used in making Communion Wine.

  

Lenoir gained it fame during the late 1800s when an outbreak of Phylloxera, microscopic louse that eats the roots of vines, infected many grape vines in Europe. As the infection spread it was nearly impossible to save the vines, so Europe had to outsource. That is when Lenoir came to the rescue! To think, this unique, relatively unknown varietal saved the European wine industry!  The American hybrid grape was found to be immune to Phylloxera. It was later found that Lenoir is also immune to Pierces disease, which is a deadly disease caused by a bacteria spread by sharpshooters in the southern USA. 

With all that being said, Black Spanish is not well known, especially outside Texas.  This hearty grape has a unique and bold tasting profile, and an intense dark color. When this grape is on its own, it is full bodied and musky with a strong taste of dark fruit, acidity, tobacco, and spice. When drinking Black Spanish in a stand alone wine or blended with others, we suggest aeration and/or decanting to dramatically open up the beautiful and unique flavors.

Here in the Lone Star State, it is also common to see this grape in a Port Style, rich with notes of vanilla and chocolate and subtle earthy tones.  Black Spanish also picks up secondary notes from aging very well, and one can note beautiful aromatics of toast, oak and tobacco in the dry, sweet and Port style labels. 

Come on down to The Rustic Grape to embark on a fun wine journey into what we call the Unofficial Official Grape of Texas!  Kristina will wow you with her intense fondness of Majek Vineyard's Lenoir!  It is excellent pairs with Eastern European flair, and is equally as good with a perfectly grilled steak.  Be sure to also try Besitos De Chocolate by Los Pinos out of Pittsburg!  We lovingly nicknamed Besitos, Chuck With a Tan, and this sweet Black Spanish has a liquid chocolate infusion and reminds most of drinking a chocolate covered strawberry.

**While we pride ourselves on knowing a lot about Texas wines, we will admit first hand that we aren't the fountain of knowledge!  We have learned a lot from the following websites, and invite you to take a look at them, as well!

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/profile-of-the-black-spanish-grape.html

http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-2045-black-spanish-lenoir

http://winefolly.com/review/no-cure-for-grape-phylloxera/

** A special thanks to Lynne Majek for her wonderful plethora of information regarding Black Spanish!

Drink Texas Wine! Ep. 1: Texas Legato Sweet Peggy Sue

Welcome to the first episode of Drink Texas Wine!  It's only fitting that we feature our top selling wine from our very first winery, Texas Legato!  

The Story of Charlie

Perhaps one cannot understand part of the culture of The Rustic Grape without knowing Charlie.  Charlie adopted us about 6 weeks ago, and will soon be moving to her permanent home with Karen.  We sure will miss Charlie around the shop, but know it's in her best interest to have a better home like setting.

Anyone who comes into The Rustic Grape knows that Carla, Kristina, and Karen find that wine and animals make the world go 'round.... along with a fair dose of kindness and good jokes. The gals discovered Charlie, then unnamed, a few months ago.  She was half her size, and was perceived to be a boy kitty.  After a couple of weeks of nourishing her with salami and leaving water outside, the name Charles was decided for the friendly, yet skiddish feline. Charles quickly started imposing in on the shop more and more, and no one really seemed to stop the cat.  Naturally, the girls did what all animal loving crazy cat people would do, they purchased cat food, flea meds and wormer.  Convinced that we were wrong about the gender, it was confirmed, that Charles was a girl.  The name quickly changed to Charlie.  

The gals down at the shop became more and more lenient with Charlie, as she moved the modems and boxes of wine glasses to create comfortable bed area away from heavy feet and clinks of glasses.  She would drift in and out of the exhausting snoozes to greet customers, meow for food, receive pats on the head, and solicit new customers with her intoxicating personality.  At one point, all who visited the shop were convinced that Charlie was pregnant.  They were all fooled as it was discovered that Charlie had become a happy and fat cat. 

In the meantime, Charlie has been escorted, rather unwillingly, to the vet, and has been giving a sparkling clean bill of health.  The girls have absolutely fallen in love with their rotund kitty.  Y'all have just a few short weeks left before Charlie will be moving to her new home!  Make sure to come in for a strained meow, and stay for a glass or two!