So how are these astonishing wines made, and what are they made from?
The answer to both questions is deceptively simple. Each wine is a style not
a variety and each is made from a different grape. Muscat is made from a brown
coloured type of the grape Muscat a Petits Grains known locally as Brown Muscat,
and Tokay is made from Muscadelle, a grape better known for a small role in the
sweet wines of Bordeaux. In both cases the grapes are grown in this hot sun
drenched region and allowed to hang on the vine long after the table grapes are
ripe, soaking up that heat, turning it into sugar, and then concentrating this
sugar and the acid as the grape shrivels. In this way the grapes often reach
16-20 degrees Baume (each degree Baume roughly equates to one % alcohol after
fermentation) quite naturally which means the resultant wine will be both sweet
and rich.
The grapes are then picked and crushed. This in itself is a difficult job due to
the raisined grapes and intense sugar levels. Next comes the fermentation, the
use of yeast to turn the sugar into alcohol. Many makers, Chambers included, do
not even start fermenting some wines (Tokay) or in very ripe years. Either way,
the short fermentation is stopped rather like Port by the addition of high
quality brandy spirit which kills the yeast leaving all that rich sugary
sweetness and flavour.
The next step involves time and patience. The young wine is cleaned then put
into oak barrels of varying sizes to age and develop. No new oak is used for
this process as the added flavour would not work with the wine, in fact, most of
the makers feel that the older the oak the better. Most of these wineries are
full of a myriad of barrels of varying sizes and some of great age. The rest of
the process is time.
What happens now is controlled oxidation. Over time, lots of time, small amounts
of air get in through the oak to affect the wine, and through these same very
small openings tiny amounts of the wines evaporate (locally this evaporated
liquid is known as the "angel's share"). The effect is three fold:
Colour
The oxidation causes colour and flavour changes in the wine. Muscat when young
is reddish brown but time and oxygen turns it brown, then eventually olive
green, particularly on the rim. Tokay starts out lighter with golden tints
but follows the same pattern with very old Muscat and Tokay looking quite similar.
Texture
Given the loss through evaporation both wines become noticeably thicker,
even oily. In fact, very old wines, and there are some as old as 100 years and
more, look and have the texture of Treacle or Molasses.
Flavour
Time adds to the complexity of the wines with older wines showing many aromas
and flavours that were not present in the young wines. Most noticeable among
these is 'rancio', a term much used with Sherries and Ports and which means,
at least as well as I can explain it, a mixture of volatility and other substances
(aldehydes for the chemists amongst us) which stop the sweet wine from smelling
and tasting over sweet or cloying. In fact, all the flavours concentrate and
intensify until older wines are quite literally explosive in the mouth.
So what can I expect from Muscat and Tokay?
Muscat has an aroma that can be described as fruity, with smells of grape, raisins,
orange peel, rancio brandy spirit and more plus a palate including incredibly
intense sweetness, and many other flavours that I can't find words for.
Tokay has all of these plus a characteristic flavour and aroma from the Muscadelle
grape that has been described as cold tea, fish oil, or malt extract, all right,
but all wrong ... you'll need to try the wine to know what I mean.
|
Producers to watch for
Chambers Rosewood
Morris
Stanton and Killeen
Baileys
Campbells
Brown Brothers
All Saints
Wines to try
Chambers Liqueur Muscat and Tokay (younger)Very Old Liqueur Muscat and Tokay
(very special, very, very old)
Morris Canister Series (younger) or Old Premium Liqueur (older)
Stanton and Killeen Special Old Liqueur
Baileys Warby and Founder Range (younger) and Winemakers Selection (older)
Campbells Merchant Prince
Brown Brothers
All Saints Lyrebird Range
I once was privileged enough to try some 100 year old Muscat from Chambers. It
was so dark and thick you almost could not pour it! It looked like treacle and
in the mouth was explosive, almost searing in its intensity and the flavour stayed
with me for ages, longer than any other wine experience. It is this wine, when
blended in with medium and fresher wine, that makes these old blends so sensational
to try. |
Gavin is the manager of the Australian
Wine Centre (a large collection of affordable, rare and
cult Australian wines) and hosts the very popular Auswine
Forum (An online discussion forum about Australian wine)
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