MOSCATO’s OUR NEW ITALIAN LOVE-CONNECTION

LOVING it: Italian-origin Moscato ideal with chocolate desserts or cheesecake.

Wc21Feb11

David Ellis

AUSSIE wine drinkers are developing a passionate new love-affair with Italian-origin Moscato.

And it could be for any number of reasons: our growing ethnic community bringing with it their own personal wine-loves, Australians themselves looking beyond the norm to wines best-suited to our growing appreciation of international cuisines, or maybe growing numbers of female wine-drinkers who enjoy softer and sweeter whites.

Whatever, sales of Moscato have jumped 87% here in the past two years and are now worth $49m a year to importers and local makers. One of the newest on the shelves is Margaret River’s Amberley Wines Kiss & Tell 2010 Moscato that at 7% is a lighter alcohol wine that’s also light on the palate with sweet tropical and melon fruit flavours, and has a slight effervescence to it.

TROPHY for Best Wine Under $20 – great with Moroccan lamb pie.

Pay just $14.99 and enjoy with light appetisers, or if you are a sweet-tooth, share it well-chilled with rich chocolate or creamy desserts, or cheesecake.

ONE FOR LUNCH: Picking up seven trophies for just five wines in three competitions in one day was a pretty good day at the office for Penfolds’ winemaking team just before Christmas.

And while there were the usual top-shelf wines amongst those trophy winners at the National Wine Show in Canberra, the Adelaide Hills Wine Show and the Great Australian Red Challenge, we were impressed with the 2009 Koonunga Hill Seventy Six Shiraz Cabernet’s trophy for Best Wine Under $20.

So if you’re conscious of the budget on a night out, pay just $19.99 and match this one that’s full-bodied with loads of dark berry flavours with Moroccan lamb pie or meaty Mediterranean dishes. It’s a perfect combination.

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