- Liqueur Muscat
A Liqueur Muscat (also known as Liqueur Tokay) is a
fortified wine made inAustralia from theMuscat Blanc à Petits Grains (known locally as Brown Muscat) andMuscadelle grapes. The wine is sweet, dark, highly alcoholicAustralian wine that has some similarities to Madeira and Malaga. The grape is most commonly produced in Victoria in the wine regions of Rutherglen and Glenrowan. J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 403 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906 ]Production
Liqueur Muscat essentially starts out being a
late harvest wine with the grapes allowed to stay on the vine till they are in a partiallyraisin ed state. The grapes are then pressed and go through partial fermentation where it is halted by the additiongrape spirits . The wine is then aged in oak in a system resembling theSherry solera system. Similar to Madeira, the wines are often exposed to hightemperatures .Classification system
In the late 1990s, winemakers in Rutherglen established as voluntary classification and regulation system for their Liqueur Muscat wines. At the lowest classification is the wine styled "Rutherglen Muscat" followed by "Classic Muscat" and "Grand Muscat". At the highest end and meant to indicate a richer and more complex wine is the "Rare Muscat".
References
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