Muscat Fortified Wine

A distinct Fortified Wine that is very popular in Australia is that made using the Muscat grape variety. Muscat, also known as Muscatel and sometimes Muskateller, is believed to be the oldest grape variety in the world. Muscat grapes can be used to create a wide range of wines, from table to sparkling, and from dry to sweet, and of course fortified. The Muscat vine is not an especially vigorous producer and is prone to any number of vine diseases as well as spring frosts due to its early budding.

Ampelographers (experts in identifying grape varieties) believe that the Muscat grape is the same as that used by the Romans and even further back in time, by the Ancient Greeks. Muscat grapes are noted for heavy aromas and so for attracting bees and flies. It is this characteristic that is the obvious origin of its name - ‘musca’ being the Latin for 'flies'. The Greeks, however, knew the Muscat as Apiane – in this case the Greek ‘apis’ means ‘bees’. The pre-Roman association of the Muscat with the Greeks has led to speculation that the Greeks introduced the vine to France via their colony at Marseille, it then spreading into other regions of Gaul during the Roman period.

In Australia, the Muscat variety has long been used to make sweet fortified wines, particularly in the Rutherglen wine region of Victoria where the Brown Muscat produced there is considered among the world’s top five fortified wines. Generally Muscat wines of this style are produced using the Solera system, the traditional method for producing Spanish Sherry, in which old and new vintages are blended together to achieve consistency. With the Solera method a portion of the wine from the last barrel of a series is removed and bottled, then the last barrel is filled from the next-to-last barrel, and so on. The barrels are then left to age until the process is repeated. In theory the last barrel contains a small amount of the first wine ever put into it!

The Muscat has a number of types and Fortified wines produced by the Frontignac (also ‘Muscat a petit grains’ – Muscat with small berries) variety are generally known as Brown Muscats. Regardless of the variety used or the intended style of Fortified wine, if it is to be fortified the grapes used in making the wine are left on the vine much longer than is usually the case with grapes for other wines. This is in order for the grapes to store more sugars as they dry out. 

Today the Rutherglen wine region in north-east Victoria is best known for its Muscat and the Fortified wines made from it. It was John Francis Brown, grandfather of the Brown Brothers of today, who first planted Muscat vines on his Victorian estate in the late 19th century and where one of the best the Brown Brothers has to offer is the Brown Brothers Liqueur Muscat.

Another great wine is the Yalumba Museum Reserve Muscat NV, also from the Rutherglen wine region of Victoria. This fine wine is made from only the red and pink fruit of the Muscat a petit grains variety. The spirit added to this Fortified is of a neutral style to preserve the flavours of the original grapes. After seven years in oak the result is a superb Muscat wine.

Also from the Rutherglen wine region is the Stanton Killeen Rutherglen Muscat. This fine wine is also made with the Muscat a petit grains and is oak matured in the traditional Solero manner. Stanton & Killeen have over one hundred years and six generations of winemaking experience in the Rutherglen wine region and also produce a Stanton Killeen Classic Muscat 12 Year Old, a Stanton Killeen Durif 2005 and their Stanton Killeen Vintage Port 2002.

Morris, also of the Rutherglen wine region, produce the Rutherglen Liqueur Muscat. This is an award winning wine, having been awarded the Trophy for Best Muscat at the Royal Melbourne Show, as well as the Trophy for Best Muscat at the Rutherglen Show and 5 Gold Medals. The wine is matured and fortified in large oak casks of from 1,500 to 4,500 litres. Morris is another Rutherglen winemaker with a many generational history of excellence in winemaking.

A fine Muscat that is not from the Rutherglen wine region is the McWilliams Hanwood Classic Muscat. Made from the Frontignac variety grown in numerous vineyards of the Riverina wine region of New South Wales, this wine is the result of blending and aging over an average of five years. The very ripe fruit is picked after having enjoyed the warm, dry conditions of the Riverina, ideal for Fortified winemaking. The spirit added as part of the fortification process is also made by the Hanwood winery. The Muscat is matured in large oak barrels that are more than ten years old, allowing the wine to develop slowly.

Without a doubt Australia is producing some of the finest wines of this type. Muscat wine is one Fortified that is sure to be appearing more and more often in Australian homes as the Fortifieds gradually regain their lost popularity.