Rustenberg Old Vine Muscat of Alexandria has been made using a centuries-old process of fortifying grape juice in order to produce a sweet dessert-style wine. Planted in 1932 on the banks of the Nel’s river in the acclaimed sweet wine producing area of Calitzdorp, the single vineyard used to make this wine survived the many floods and droughts experienced in the area, diminishing in size over time. It was saved from being pulled out to make way for a peach orchard in 2020 and has been registered with the South African Old Vine Project. Ripe grapes are harvested, crushed and allowed skin contact before being pressed and the juice fortified with neutral grape spirit without any fermentation. The grape spirit preserves the natural flavours and sugar of the juice while ensuring that no fermentation can take place in the wine. This very stable sweet wine can be aged for many decades under ideal cellaring conditions and will become richer and more concentrated over time.
The 2021 vintage is a balanced sweet wine with beautiful freshness & texture; exhibiting aromas and flavours of pineapple, litchi, melon, jasmine & spice.
Ageing potential: Many decades under ideal cellaring conditions
Alcohol: 16.5% ABV
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string(2540) "Muscat of Alexandria is an ancient grape variety used both for table grapes and wine production. Despite its long history, the variety remains rather undistinguished and lies in the shadow of its finer, more aromatic cousin Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains. Nevertheless, there are a handful of wine regions that make high-quality wines from Muscat of Alexandria, most often sweet or fortified styles.
The Muscat family of grapes is sizeable and very well travelled; there are Muscat grapes of one kind or another in almost every winegrowing region on Earth. Muscat of Alexandria has the honour of being one of the earliest, primordial forms.
It originated (as its name suggests) around the great city of Alexandria, at the western edge of the Nile Delta in Egypt.
Despite the variety's "second best" reputation, a handful of the world's wine regions produce high-quality wines from Muscat of Alexandria. These include Rutherglen in Australia, Pantelleria (a volcanic island in the Mediterranean just south of Sicily), Setubal in Portugal and Malaga on Spain's south coast.
All of these produce their eponymous sweet wines from Muscat of Alexandria grapes. Just down the coast from Malaga, the variety is used in Jerez to produce Moscatel sherries.
In France, Muscat of Alexandria is used only in a tiny number of wines, most notably Muscat de Rivesaltes, in which it is blended with Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. In Chile, where it is called Moscatel de Alejandria (as it is throughout South America), the variety is grown extensively and used to make Pisco brandy.
It is also grown further north in the Americas, notably in California, although it is most often used only as a blending variety there. In South Africa, the variety crops up in small quantities in various regions, and is used for anything from table grapes to dry wines, sweet wines and brandy.
Something of an exception to the rule is Tunisia, where Muscat of Alexandria is used in dry wines, both white and rosé.
The popularity of sweet and fortified wines around the world has significantly declined over the past century, as winemaking techniques and consumer preference have moved strongly towards dry table wines. This has led to the appearance of dry wines (both still and sparkling) made from Muscat of Alexandria, from regions traditionally associated with sweet and fortified styles.
Synonyms include: Moscatel de Alejandria, Moscatel Gordo, Muscat Romain, Moscatel Romano, Moscatel de Setubal, Zibibbo, Hanepoot, Lexia."
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