Columbia Crest Moscato Grand Estates 750ml

Winery: Columbia Crest

Varietal: Muscat

Muscat varietal grapes are surely one of the most versatile wine grapes in the world. In dozens of countries across Europe and the New World, they are used for the production of everything from fine, fruity dry wines, to elegant sparkling examples and even dense, aromatic fortified wines of exceptional character and flavor It is a favorite with winemakers and vintners worldwide as a result of its hardiness and the high yields the vines routinely produce, and grows in a wide range of terroirs and climatic conditions. Such conditions have a considerable effect on the grapes themselves, which is part of the reason why Muscat wines are so varied when it comes to flavor, aroma and characteristics. Generally, Muscat wines are recognizable as a result of their strong, fresh and distinctly 'grapey' flavor, making them popular with those looking for a simple yet elegant wine easily paired with many different foods.

Region: Washington State

Since it began in the 1820s, wine-production in Washington state has gone from strength to strength, with many of the finest United States wines coming out over the past twenty years hailing from this region. Today, the state is the second largest US producer of wines, behind California, with over forty thousand acres under vine. The state itself is split into two distinct wine regions, separated by the Cascade Range, which casts an important rain shadow over much of the area. As such, the vast majority of vines are grown and cultivated in the dry, arid desert-like area in the eastern half of the state, with the western half producing less than one percent of the state's wines where it is considerably wetter. Washington state is famed for producing many of the most accessible wines of the country, with Merlot and Chardonnay varietal grapes leading the way, and much experimentation with other varietals characterizing the state's produce in the twenty-first century.

Country: United States

Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.