Muscaris Wine Grape

Muscaris, or FR 493-87, is a cross between the grapes Solaris(a white-skinned hybrid of Merzling and Geisenheim) and Muskateller (Muscat), with a good resistance to diseases. It was created by Norbert Becker at the National Institute of Viticulture, Freiburg, Germany.

The berries are rounded and sit in loose bunches,

As it tends develop high levels of sugar and acidity the Muscaris is a good choice for sparkling wines. The colour of the wine is yellow, and it has a pleasant nutmeg aroma. The taste is fruity, with a citrus character and a strong fresh acidity, in many ways reminiscent of its parent Muskateller. Typical aromas include lemon, orange and tangerine, and a hint of musk (as in perfumes) can be sensed.


Color: Yellow
Aroma: Intense with nutmeg, citrus and sometimes a certain smokyness
Taste: Fruity, strong with intense fruit acid
Leaf: pentagonal with three to five lobes, overlapping petiole
Grape cluster: loose to very loose, cylindrical with small secondary wing; rounded berries with green skin and a note of cassis
Ripening: early to middle

The Muscaris wine grape should not be mixed up with the perennial bulbous plants - Muscari. These plants have urn-shaped flowers resembling bunches of grapes in the spring. In the US they are often called bluebells or bluebonnets. But there ends the resemblance between Muscari and Muscaris. The wines have muscatty and citric aromas with intense acidity, which makes them good candidates for sparkling wine. High tannin-content and a robust powerful taste creates an exciting mix for the palate.