The fun new ways to enjoy moscato

This wine comes with a lot of baggage — with the sweet flavour profile turning off even the most seasoned drinker. But there’s a cellar door that’s reinvented the drop, and will have you ordering it in winter.

Innocent Bystander also sells its famed moscato on tap.

When was the last time you had a glass of moscato?

Most wine drinkers will be familiar with the style, having either enjoyed it at a different time in their lives or avoided altogether.

The naturally sweet wine is made from muscat grapes, coloured Barbie pink with a slight fizz and flavour profile of fairy floss and Turkish delight.

Sceptics say it’s only enjoyed by young drinkers or those at the other end of the spectrum.

But there’s a new way people of all ages are enjoying the drop, according to Innocent Bystander’s Mat Janes.

At his Healesville cellar door, moscato is one of the most ordered drinks.

During the warmer months, he finds the drop is best enjoyed as a mixer, frozen granita or the famed ginscato Nana’s Ruin (gin and moscato cocktail).

Moscato gets a sexy makeover at Innocent Bystander as a ‘ginscato’ Nana’s Ruin. Picture: Supplied

“It does make a good mixer as it has a sweeter palate profile for a cocktail,” Mat says.

“Because of the residual sweetness, it can freeze. So some days we make a granita or slushie.”

Moscato is one of the driving forces behind Innocent Bystander’s success more than 12 years ago.

“We wanted to make a moscato that people wanted to drink and we were proud to make,” Mat says.

“It wasn’t one of our first wines in our portfolio, but once it was released it struck a chord for us. The way that Innocent Bystander presented moscato to consumers had a bit more appeal than what had been done historically.”

The Innocent Bystander drop is quite distinct, with Mat told moscato is one of the hardest wines to make.

Moscato in slushie form at Innocent Bystander. Picture: Supplied

Moscato often gets a bad wrap. Picture: Supplied

“Getting a balance of acidity and sweetness and richness is quite a challenge,” Mat says.

“We source our moscato grapes from the Swan Hill region, from older vines and two different varieties of muscat.”

Mat revamped the winery’s moscato by shrinking the packaging size and changing the design.

“I think when you pop it in a smaller format bottle and … put it in a pack that had a bit more contemporary appeal, people connected to it,” he says.

The moscato is also sold on tap in venues and by the can.

The moscato is coloured vibrant pink.

The Innocent Bystander label has evolved over the years.

VIC WINEMAKERS TAKE ON WORLD

WINTER WARMER COCKTAIL TO TRY AT HOME

HOPPERS CROSSING DESSERT BAR A HIDDEN GEM

Innocent Bystander sold its moscato in approachable cans.

Moscato was one of the top five most searched terms on Cellarmasters website, along with ‘organic’ and ‘rose’.

‘Pink moscato’ was also the most searched moscato term on the website, suggesting there could be peaked interest in the sweet wine soon. Watch this space.

@Kara_Irving