This past Sunday, we celebrated National Moscato Day. YUM! Moscato is the Italian name for Muscat. Moscatel is its name in Spain. In this article, I’ll stick to the word Muscat. Today, we’re going to talk about the rich history of Muscat.

This amazing grape is one of the oldest around and is likely the great great great (keep going) grandparent of most of the other wine grapes we know and love today. Jancis Robinson says it well: “The Muscat grape may not be thought of as one of the great international classics, but its history is many times longer than that of such newcomers as Cabernet Sauvignon for example. It was almost certainly the grape variety referred to by writers in classical times as being particularly attractive to insects for its heady smell and impressive ripeness.”