Typical Products of the Langhe > Wine > Vines > White Moscato vine

The fine wines of the Langhe > Vines > White Moscato vine

Moscato from Asti, Canelli, Chambave, Trani, Noto, Siracusa, Tempio Pausania, Moscatello from Montalcino. Outside of Italy it is called “Moscatel denudo blanco” (in Spain), “Muscat à petits grains” or “from Frontignan” or “de Lunel” or “from Alsace” (in France), “Gelber muskateller” (in Germany), “Tamioasa” (in Romania), etc. White Moscato vine is not to be mistaken with the so-called “Greek Moscato” (or Greek Malvasia), which is sporadically present in many areas in Piedmont, nor with yellow Moscato, sometimes wrongly called “Orange flower Moscato”. Moreover, it is wee-distinct from white Moscatellone (Salamanna, Zibibbo, Muscat d’Alexandrie, Muscat gordo blanco), which is cultivated in other Italian areas and abroad. Some Moscato vines (whose fruits are pink, red or violet), which are present only sporadically in Italy, are types of white Moscato vine which have their grape peel colour changed.

Geographic distribution

It is the most cultivated white-fruit vine of Piedmont, and one of the most important in many municipalities of the provinces of Cuneo, Asti, and Alessandria. It is present, although sporadically, in other Piedmontese areas, including mountain and piedmont areas. As far as the remaining of Italy, it is known and utilized to produce aromatic wines (Val d’Aosta, Pavese, Euganei hills, Tuscany, Apulia, Sicily, Sardinia). Its cultivation, outside of Italy, is spread all over the world.

Morphological characters

Bud: green, with slightly coppered edges, slight lanuginose-arachnoid apex. Yellowish green, sporadically bronzed, inferiorly slight lanuginose, apex leaves (1-3). Entirely bronzed, inferiorly arachnoid, basal leaves (4-5). 
Adult leaf: of medium size, pentagonal, five-lobed; its central womb is closed and V-shaped; its superior lateral wombs are U-shaped; its inferior lateral wombs are V-shaped. Its border is slightly leaned (cup-shaped) or flat, with a medially bubbly green (with rosy or green main nervation base) surface. Its teeth are pronounced, their margins rectilinear or, concave on one side, convex on the other side. Its inferior page has a slightly arachnoid border and weakly bristly nervations (there is a variety among the different genotypes of this character). 
Ripened grape: of medium size, cylindrical, slightly prolonged, winged, medially compact or compact; its peduncle is medium-short and green-coloured. 
Acinus: of medium size (2,2 g), spherical or slightly flatted (d.e./d.l.=0,99); its peel is thin, not very much pruinose, of greenish a yellow colour, which becomes golden or amber yellow when exposed to the sun; its taste is intensively “moscato”.

Phenology 

Germination: medium (second decade of April). 
Flowering: medium (between the first and the second decade of June). 
Turning to dark colour: medium-precocious (first decade of August). 
Grape maturation: precocious or medium-precocious (second decade of September).

Cultural attitudes and utilization

Vigour: medium; its buds have medium-length and erect carriage inter-nodes. 
Fertility and production: generally high and constant; it is fertile at basal gem and femminelle level. Plant-culture and pruning: counter-espalier with mixed pruning of Guyot type, with only one capo fruiting 10-12 gems. It is suitable also for short pruning (rammed cord), while high and expanded plant-cultures methods are not suitable due to its medium vigour. 
Multiplication behaviour: good with the most common grafts; the 420A and 41B type are very much utilized in Piedmont. 
Susceptibility and adversities to phytopathy: rather susceptible to oidium and even more susceptible to grape grey mould and rot, which in some environments it is advisable to defend with chemical products and agronomic interventions; ripened grapes, which is rich of sugars, attract wasps, bees, and insects; in some years, white Moscato vine is sensible to iron chlorosis: so on calcareous grounds, where this product is particularly precious, it is advisable to use suitable grafts. 
Oenological attitudes: white Moscato grapes give special sweet and intensively aromatic wines, sparkling or more often champagne-like wines; after the withering of grapes, passito wines of excellent quality can be obtained; rare, but not less interesting, dry and aromatic wines to be drunk as aperitifs.

Clones:

Moscato Bianco CVT CN 4
Moscato Bianco CVT CN 16
Moscato Bianco CVT AT 57
Moscato R 2
Moscato R 3
Moscato FEDIT 6 C.S.G.

DOC Langa wines which are produced from this vine:

Asti Moscato wine
Asti wine or Asti sparkling wine

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