Heliotrope Red Moscato 2012
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Wilfred
Wong
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Winemaker Notes
Its casual nature suggests that the wine be paired with lighter fare. Certainly lovely to sip by itself, this Red Moscato goes well with fried chicken, sandwiches, and creamy bisques.
Varietal Blend: 76% Muscat Blanc, 13% Symphony, 5%Gewurztraminer, and 6% Proprietary Red Wine
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
At once delightful and serious, the aromatic '12 Heliotrope Red Moscato is frightfully fun to drink; smooth, nice sugar; acid balance; sweet in the finish.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
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Each American Viticultural Area (AVA) and sub-AVA of has its own distinct personality, allowing California to produce red wine of every fashion: from bone dry to unctuously sweet, still to sparkling, light and fresh to rich and full-bodied. In the Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate vineyard acreage. Sonoma County is best known for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rosé and Zinfandel. The Central Coast has carved out a niche with Rhône Blends based on Grenache and Syrah, while Mendocino has found success with cool climate varieties such as Pinot noir, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. With all the diversity that California wine has to offer, any wine lover will find something to get excited about here.