Celebrating World Moscato Day on the 9th May
World Moscato day will be celebrated on Sunday, 9th May this year, coinciding with Mother’s Day in South Africa. Moscato, as it is now known, has its roots in the province of Asti in Northwest Italy, where it was already cultivated and made since the 1870’s. Made in a frizzante style, Moscato d’Asti was the wine that winemakers made for themselves. This low-alcohol wine could be enjoyed at midday meals and would not slow down the winemaker or his workers. After the work day was done, the Piedmontese tradition of long, multicourse evening meals gave Moscato d’Asti the purpose of a digestive, that cleansed and stimulated the palate for dessert.
While Moscato have only recently become a trendy wine style in South Africa, this fruity, sparkling delight has really made a name for itself overseas, especially in the USA and Canada, for more than a decade. Hip Hop and rap artists have written about Moscato since the mid 2000’s, with the category becoming associated with a fun and cool lifestyle. While rapper Nicki Minaj is co-owner of the Coconut Moscato brand, MYX, it was arguably the Canadian rapper Drake that coined the coolness with his lyrics about Moscato.
While the popularity of Moscato undeniably hails from the scenes of the rich and famous in the USA, the category has managed to establish itself in all types of markets in South Africa. With De Krans being the current market leader of the Moscato category in South Africa, it serves as the perfect opportunity to shine a light on their popular Moscato Range.
The De Krans Premium Moscato range consists of the Premium White Moscato Perlé, Premium Red Moscato Perlé as well as the brand-new De Krans Rosé Moscato Perlé that was released in March this year. The idea behind this range was to embrace the muscadel grape that is so synonymous with the Klein Karoo, but to present it in a sophisticated, easy drinking and refined way that elevates the muscat flavours. While moscato refers to the style of wine and the grapes used (Muscat de Frontignan and Muscat d’Alexandrie), the perlé refers to the slight fizz (a slightly lower pressure than a sparkling wine), which gives the wine that lovely zing and refreshing taste. What also makes these wines special and very consumer friendly, are the lower alcohol levels of 7.5%, 8% and 8.5% for the White, Rosé and Red Moscato respectively. Perfect for a brunch or even a cocktail mixer. Experiment with both the white and red to make a delicious sangria, or add a bit of Cape Pink (one of our port style wines) to the White Moscato in a bubbly glass for a beautiful welcome drink, which will no doubt impress your guests. The Premium Moscato range is also often used as an alternative for a bubbly – a more affordable and low–alcohol alternative that works great with all palates.
The Premium White Moscato Perlé was first produced in 2012 and has since never stopped to grow in popularity. This natural sweet wine is packed with flavours of muscat, litchi, apricots and other tropical fruits with hints of honey and exotic spice on the palate.
Following the success of the White Moscato, the Premium Red Moscato Perlé was first made in 2017. The 15% Pinotage wine that is added to give it the red colour, changes the fruit profile considerably to flavours of berries, litchi, soft prunes and muscat, with strawberries, blackcurrants and exotic spice on the palate. The red grapes also result in a complex mouth feel and a crisp finish. While both these wines are wonderful and light on their own (remember to serve chilled), they also pleasantly surprise when pairing with fresh, summer salads, charcuterie and spicy food like mild curries.
In March 2021 the much anticipated Premium Rosé Moscato Perlé was released. On the back of the popularity of the De Krans Moscato range and Rosé as a wine style, this Rosé Moscato really is the best of both worlds. Just a touch of Pinotage is added – the result is a beautiful rose petal, blush pink colour.
Have a glass of your favourite De Krans Moscato on Moscato/Mother’s Day on the 9th May. The De Krans Moscato range is widely available at most retailers across the country.