white grape · regional specialty
Muscadelle
Gironde, France
Say it
moos·kah·dell
First vowel is French /y/ — rounded, like pursing lips to say 'ee'; closer to 'myoos' than English 'moose'
On the palate
honeysuckleorange blossomwhite peachapricothoneylychee
How you spot it blind: pronounced musky-floral perfume with no genetic relation to Muscat
The story
First written down · 1736, Cadillac, Gironde, France
DNA confirmed Gouais blanc as one parent; Australia's fortified 'Tokay' was renamed Topaque in 2007 after genetic testing established its identity as Muscadelle.
Family tree: Gouais blanc × unknown
Where it lives
Bordeaux — Entre-Deux-Mers, Sauternes, Barsac · Bergerac and Monbazillac, France · Rutherglen and Glenrowan, Victoria, Australia
Shows up as
dry white blendsweet white blendSauternesRutherglen Topaque