Swill or Swell: Episode 15

Mango Moscato

watch the episode here

Welcome to Swill or Swell, a weekly series where I taste grocery store wines and let you know if they’re worth the buck or just meant for the drain!

​CAVEAT! As you read this, please keep in mind that wine is subjective! This means that everyone enjoys different things and something I like might not be something you like and vice versa. I’ll be as objective as I can with facts about the wine’s quality, but in the end if your opinion differs from mine...that’s perfectly fine! Wine is only worth drinking if YOU like drinking it!

LET’S INTRODUCE THE WINE

Today I’ll be tasting the Tropical Mango Moscato from Piedmont Italy. I’ll be tasting with my mom, who is the perfect judge for this wine since she’s a huge Moscato fan! When looking for a wine for today’s episode, I thought that it was time to try a sweet wine, and this was only $12 from Costco, so i couldn’t pass it up!

MANGO MOSCATO FUN FACTS

Let’s start by talking about the Moscato varietal.
- Moscato is actually the italian name for Muscat Blanc
- It’s originally from Greece, and is one of the oldest wine grapes in the world
- One of the most popular styles is based on Moscato d’Asti from Piedmont.
- The wine used in this drink is from Piedmont
- This drink has carbon dioxide added for the fizz, and a mango pulp added for flavor
- The wine’s unique floral aroma is from an aromatic compound called linalool which is also found in mint, citrus flowers, and cinnamon.

Now let’s talk a little about the specifics of this wine.
- After pressing, undergoes a short fermentation, rapidly chilled to a temperature just above freezing to stop the yeast activity and racked off the sediment.
- Just prior to bottling, the secondary fermentation takes place and the mango fruit is added and blended.
- The blend 88% Moscato, 10% natural mango pulp 2 % natural passion and fruit pulp

WINE TASTING NOTES

Look: Light, slightly golden
Smell: Fresh mango (very prominent), passion fruit, and a little floral behind it
Taste: Very sweet! Honestly, it tastes like mango juice with a fizz to it
Think:
 Food Pairing - A salty dish might go very well, or something smoky
Occasion - This would be perfect for a summer pool day
Rating - If you love sweet wine, this is for you! My personal preference isn’t sweet, and although I wouldn’t dump this down the drain, I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to get it again. So, I would give this a swill.

Want to learn more? Check out my Instagram every Thursday at 5PM PST for a new episode of Swill or Swell! Have a wine you’d like me to taste? Write your request in the comments below or send me a message on Instagram!

Cheers!