Wines made from muscat grapes of Vin de France
Discover the best wines made with muscat as a single variety or as a blend of Vin de France.
White muscat is a white grape variety of Greek origin. Present in several Mediterranean vineyards, it has several synonyms such as muscat de Die, muscat blanc and frontignac. In France, it occupies a little less than 7,000 ha out of a total of 45,000 ha worldwide. Its young shoots are downy. Its youngest leaves are shiny, bronzed and scabrous. The berries and bunches of this variety are all medium-sized. The flesh of the berries is juicy, sweet and firm. Muscat à petits grains has a second ripening period and buds early in the year. It is moderately vigorous and must be pruned short. It likes poor, stony slopes. This variety is often exposed to spring frosts. It fears mildew, wasps, grape worms, court-noué, grey rot and powdery mildew. Muscat à petits grains is used to make rosé wines and dry white wines. Orange, brown sugar, barley sugar and raisins are the known aromas of these wines.
Vin de France is the most basic level of quality for wines from France. These are generally uncomplicated everyday drinks - most often blends, but perhaps also Varietal wines based on a well-known Grape variety such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Wines from France are those that do not meet the criteria stipulated by the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) laws (see information on French wine labels). This may be because the vineyards are outside the delimited production areas or because the grape varieties or winemaking techniques used do not conform to the rules of the local appellations.