Muscat Canelli holds a special place in my heart. Muscat was one of the first wines I truly enjoyed. It was sweet and refreshing and very appealing. Muscat Canelli and Asti Spumante became wines I used to celebrate special occasions and therefore they are always associated with happiness and joy.
In 2010 I had the opportunity to work with Muscat Canelli grapes from the River Junction Appellation and attempt to recreate this part of my past. After revisiting the market and tasting through dozens of Muscat based wines I selected my favorites. Next, I analyzed the wines and determined their basic chemistry. Once I knew their composition it was a simple exercise in reverse engineering to determine the harvest parameters. The key I discovered was to keep the alcohol content low. In my survey of the market it became clear that the bright refreshing nature I so loved was expressed more clearly in the wines with low alcohol levels. So after harvesting the grapes and initiating the fermentation we filtered out the yeast once the wine had acquired just five and a half percent alcohol. After halting the fermentation we were very gentle with the wine with the objective of preserving as much of the natural carbonation. We bottled the wine in January just a few weeks after the harvest.
