Muscat de Rivesaltes is an ''

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

'' (AOC) for

fortified wine Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commanda ...

s (of the type ''

vin doux naturel Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commandar ...

'') made in the

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; ca, Rosselló ; oc, Rosselhon ) is a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the reg ...

wine region of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. They are similar to

Rivesaltes AOC Rivesaltes (; ) is an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) for naturally sweet, fortified wines (vin doux naturel or VDN). The name refers to both a production region within Languedoc-Roussillon wine, Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France, an ...

wines, except for the grape varieties used.Wine Doctor: Roussillon Wine Guide Part 2
accessed April 6, 2010 The wines are white, and made from

Muscat d'Alexandrie Muscat of Alexandria is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat (grape and wine), Muscat family of ''Vitis vinifera''. It is considered an "ancient vine", and wine experts believe it is one of the oldest genetically unmodified vines st ...

and

Muscat à Petits Grains Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the Capital (political), capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Muscat (governorate), Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the t ...

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago ...

, usually in equal quantities, although the appellation rules allow these varieties to be used in any proportion. The alcohol content must be at least 15 per cent by volume, the

potential alcohol Must weight is a measure of the amount of sugar in grape juice (must) and, hence, indicates the amount of alcohol that could be produced if it is all fermented to alcohol, rather than left as residual sugar.glucose Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using ...

and

fructose Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galacto ...

) of the finished wine at least 100 grams per liter. The AOC was created in 1956. The wine is usually served as an aperitif but in Rivesaltes ville and the surrounding area is commonly drunk by the glass in bars and cafes. A popular local starter is

foie gras Foie gras (, ; ) is a specialty food product made of the liver of a duck or goose. According to French law, foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by gavage (force feeding). Foie gras is a popular and well-known delicacy ...

served with a glass of Muscat de Rivesaltes.

Muscat de Noël

Muscat de Noël is a designation for young Muscat de Rivesaltes marketed for the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

(''Noël'') season in its harvest year. Muscat de Rivesaltes with the additional designation Muscat de Noël can be marketed from November 1 in its harvest year, while regular Muscat de Rivesaltes can be marketed from February 1 in the year following the harvest.

References

{{coord, 42, 46, 11, N, 2, 52, 29, E, region:FR-66_type:adm2nd_source:kolossus-cawiki, display=title Fortified wine Languedoc-Roussillon wine AOCs Roussillon wine AOCs

Muscat de Noël

See also

References