Muscat

WhiteVinifera white

Everywhere around the Mediterranean

The one variety that smells like grapes, from terpenes rather than fermentation. Used dry, sweet and fortified.

At harvest

Each bar drawn against the full range of all 54 varieties

Sugar

21-26 Brix

21 - 26

Titratable acidity

5-7 g/L

5 - 7

3.2-3.6

3.2 - 3.6

Juice yield

0.66 L/kg

free run plus a gentle press

Sugar per kilogram

170 g

at 23.5 Brix, the midpoint

Fruit for 23 litres

35 kg

before racking losses

Potential alcohol

12.9-14.1%

from 1.099 fermented dry. A range, because conversion varies by strain

What it punishes

Losing the aroma to a hot ferment. Terpenes are volatile and a warm fermentation blows them off.

Made into

Off-dry white
Fortified sweet
Sparkling

Sulphite at this pH

At pH 3.40, protecting a white wine to 0.8 mg/L molecular SO2 takes 32 mg/L of free SO2. Work it out for your own reading.

More vinifera white

21-24 Brix

Chardonnay

Burgundy, and every wine country since

20-23 Brix

Sauvignon Blanc

Loire and Marlborough

19-24 Brix

Riesling

Mosel and Rheingau

21-24 Brix

Pinot Gris

Alsace and northern Italy

22-26 Brix

Gewurztraminer

Alsace

23-26 Brix

Viognier

Condrieu

20-25 Brix

Chenin Blanc

Loire and South Africa

21-24 Brix

Semillon

Bordeaux and the Hunter Valley