Where does it come from?
This wine is produced in the village where I go each and every summer: Frontignan. It is a little village by the mediterranean cost, between Sète and Montpellier.
Muscat de Frontignan is an “appellation d’origine contrôlée” (AOC). This means it is:
- made exlusively from a special grape variety called “Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains”;
- produced in a limited area near Frontignan (as you may have guessed…). The total area of vineyards that can produce Muscat de Frontignan covers about 800 ha;
- made with specific wine-making
techniques.
This three elements, area, means and technics of prodcution, is what French people call “terroir“.
Muscat de Frontignan is the eldest and most famous of all muscat wines (Muscat de Rivesaltes, Muscat de Mireval, Muscat du Cap Corse, etc.). The AOC was created in 1936 to prevent the wine from counterfeiting .
Most important…
How does it taste?
Delicious… Muscat de Frontignan is a sweet wine to serve with dessert or aperitif. It is a flowery wine with tastes of honey and citrus. It is also used for cooking, especially to balance the acidity of tomato-based sauces, just like in the “tielle” from Sète (local spicy octopus pie – click here to see my recipe) and in the phenomenal seafood macaronade (recipe – click here). It can also be used in pastry, just like to make the “Zézettes” from Sète (long sweet biscuits – click here for the recipe).
