Wine Regions / Grape Varieties
Muscat of Alexandria
North Africa (Egypt/Tunisia); widely cultivated in Mediterranean countries
Also known as: Zibibbo
Muscat of Alexandria is one of the oldest cultivated grape varieties, thought to originate in North Africa and spread throughout the Mediterranean by the Romans. It is a large-berried, powerfully aromatic member of the Muscat family grown chiefly for raisins, table grapes, and fortified or sweet wines across Spain, Portugal, North Africa, and Australia. In Sicily it is known as Zibibbo, the grape of Passito di Pantelleria and Moscato di Pantelleria, where old bush vines grown in wind-sheltered hollows produce intensely sweet, apricot-scented wines.
Flavors & Aromas
Intense orange blossom, apricot, peach, and raisin, with a heavier, more exotic muskiness than Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. Less delicate, with a pronounced dried-fruit depth.
Winemaking & Aging
Low acidity and high sugar make it best suited to fortified, sweet, or late-harvest styles. Vigorous and heat-tolerant, performing well in arid climates. Rarely made as a dry wine. In Spain it appears in Moscatel de Málaga and Moscatel de Valencia; in Australia, in Rutherglen Muscat. Best consumed young in fresh styles; fortified versions age for decades.
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