Muscat Hamburg

Let's go to Tahiti today. Why not? You didn't know they made wine on the island of Tahiti?

Actually, the Tahitian wine industry cheats just a bit. Nobody has figured out how to grow wine grapes on the island of Tahiti. But, what they have done is grown them on nearby Rangiroa atoll and transported the grapes to Tahiti. It's only about 250 miles of open water. And, since there are only about 2500 people on Rangiroa and no tourists to speak of, it's far more commercially prudent to produce the wine on Tahiti.

What is Tahiti? It's an island paradise in the middle of the Pacific, or so I am told. Wealthy tourists seeking secluded beaches in a climate with summer 12 months each year have long traveled there. 

Rangiroa is not all that much different, but much smaller, and much less humid. This makes it suitable for growing grapes. The soil in Rangiroa is the product of limestone derived from the coral of which the island is formed. A particularly fast-draining soil, this would be a near perfect place for growing Burgundian grapes were it not for the heat.

On Rangiroa, they grow one traditional red wine grape (Carignan) and the very light red wine grape Muscat Hamburg. Interestingly, elsewhere in the world, Muscat Hamburg is used to produce a darkish dessert wine, but on Tahiti, it produces a white wine. 

The wine we've been poured is remarkably complex. Notice a primary aroma of tropical fruits like mango, banana, and pineapple, followed by a secondary aroma of ripe lychee.

On the palate, there is significant minerality interwoven with tropical fruit. On the back palate, the lychee comes through and lingers on the finish.

Pair your Muscat Hamburg with a tropical fruit cocktail, fruit salad, or fresh seafood right off the boat. The inherent minerality is sufficient to handle oysters, but be careful of the clash of tropical fruit with the saltiness of the oysters.


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