Wines by Johannes Zillinger Velue 2.0 Muskateller 2021

Forget your notion of Muscat as a sweet wine as is found in Moscato d’Asti, or in Sicily’s aromatic Zibibbo, this Austrian Muskateller has an expressive nose of preserved lemon and citrus candy, with sparse notes of nutmeg. The nose gives away quite a grapey aroma, but has a lot more dryness on the palate. There is a nice kick of sourness: a bite of grapefruit, tart lychees, unripe guava, a lanolin waxy contour with a chalky finish that completes the palate. Zesty, refreshing, and utterly drinkable, this Muskateller shows how the aromatic Muscat grown on Loess can be lighter and more restrained – no thick textures here! At 11.5% alc it lends itself as a great aperitif. The underlying minerality and a subtle spiciness in its persisitence makes this so versatile. If not with pickles, you could crack this with a chicken tagine and preserved lemons. Zillinger’s Muskateller is a lot of drinking fun in a bottle.