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Wine Details
Price:
$9.99 per bottle
Description:
A dessert wine in the tradition of a Muscat Blanc, Early Twilight is crafted with 40% Carlos and 60% and mix of Sauvignon Blanc, Vidal, and Gewurztraminer. The sweetness is matched with wonderfully high acid to such a degree that even non dessert wine drinker enjoy this wine.
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Varietal Definition
Carlos:
Made as a varietal by several U.S. wineries, mainly in N. Carolina and Mississipi, this bronze Muscadine hybrid derived from the native American species grape found in the Southern states is generally made into sweet wines. The best known related variety is the Scuppernong.
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Muscat:
Muscat, thought to be one of the oldest grape varieties, is grown worldwide. It is vinified in a multitude of styles, from still to sparkling, and dry to sweet to fortified. Also called Moscato, Moscatel and Muskateller, it is a sweetly aromatic, fruity grape that has many genetic variations and colors. It probably originated in Greece but maybe the independent sultanate of Muscat in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula had something to do with it. Over 200 different varieties and derivatives to the Muscat family exist today. Muscat Canelli, Orange Muscat and Black Muscat are varieties most planted in California, which makes primarily still wine. More unusual is Muscat fermented to total dryness, which leaves greater alcohol levels and no residual sugar. Some Muscats are aged in oak to provide additional complexity.Today’s recommended Muscats represent many of these styles, so use the tasting notes and percent of residual sugar - listed if provided by the winery - to find a wine you’ll enjoy. The more sugar and the lower the alcohol, the sweeter the wine, though wines above 10 percent alcohol can also be somewhat sweet.
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Muscat Blanc:
(aka Muskateller in Austria and Germany, Muscat Lunel in Hungary, Muscadel in South Africa, Muscat Frontignon in France and in Italy as the Moscato di Canelli). Members of the Muscat cepage family. Used mainly for making semi-sweet and sweet dessert wines. May be the oldest known grape, having a documented history of growth around the Mediterranean for many centuries. Should not be confused with the Muscat of Alexandria, the grape with a similar ancient history of growth around the Mediterranean.
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Sauvignon Blanc:
Sauvignon Blanc is widely grown in California — at over 15,000 acres, it’s now the third most planted variety — and often assumes the moniker ‘Fume Blanc’. This popular synonym, credited to Napa’s Robert Mondavi, derives from the grape’s historic home of Pouilly in France’s Upper Loire Valley, where Sauvignon Blanc is the dominant varietal and goes locally by the name of ‘Blanc Fumé’. When treated with respect and afforded suitable growing conditions, Sauvignon Blanc is one of the wine world’s darlings. Steely, racy acidity, green, gooseberry fruit, asparagus and a grassy, herbaceous character characterize dry wines made from this grape.
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Traminer:
Parent grape of the popular Gewurztraminer clone. Still grown in France and in California but almost everywhere has been replaced by its much more intense and spicy offspring clone.
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