The Bliss of the Grape

My drinks of choice in my college years were cheap beer, cheaper champagne, and the occasional strawberry daiquiri. Since drinking in college meant drinking in excess, I never gave myself a chance to realize that stopping at one or two gives you a wonderfully relaxed feeling without the hangover.

Graduating meant moving into the workforce and mixing with real live grownups who were able to go out and have one or two without closing the bar down or worshipping the porcelain god the next morning. I decided that maybe I could dip my toes back into the drinking pool and learn to drink responsibly. The first thing I needed to do was ditch the cheap college booze and learn to appreciate the good stuff.

For me the good stuff is always the sweet drinks that taste good going down and give you a wonderfully mellow feeling. You can keep the hard and nasty stuff that burns going down and tastes like paint thinner (and I learned the hard way, that some of the most expensive stuff also tastes the worst). I discovered Butterscotch schapps while living on Okinawa and for a while it was my drink of choice and even today I’ll sometimes order a buttery nipple (butterscotch schapps mixed with Bailey’s). Even though schapps is supposedly a German drink, when I was in Germany, my German friends were perplexed by my explanation of Butterscotch schnapps. When I finally tracked some down for them to taste, they wrinkled up their noses and told me that this wasn’t real schnapps.

Wine had always struck me as the ultimate grownup drink, something that sophisticated people sipped out of stemmed glasses while looking tremendously blaise about all that life had to offer. I tried wine a couple of times over the past twenty years, but no matter how expensive it was, it always struck me as one step removed from vinager in taste and smell. I tried the cheap stuff, I tried the expensive stuff, I tried red stuff, and I tried white stuff and I didn’t like any of it. That is until I discovered Moscato wines. They have this incredibly sweet and light taste that is perfect for sipping in the evenings. Technically they are dessert wines, but I’ll have a glass with anything and it always seems to taste right.

Moscato wines are made with muscat grapes (although as far as I can tell the terms Moscato and Muscat are often used interchangeably). These grapes are grown in vineyards around the world and are prized for their sweet and floral nature. They are used to make wines, raisins, and other yummy treats. I’ve tried a wide variety of Moscato wines and some of my favorites are the Moscato Allegro from Martin Weyrich winery in California and Sutter Home”s Moscato. Both of those are light and flavorful with next to no bite. Right now I’m drinking Bartenura Moscato D Asti. It has an incredible flavor and one glass gets me to mellow without going past that nice relaxed stage.

It’s not only pure Moscato’s that have woven their spell around me, I’m also learning to appreciate the sweetness of mixed wines like those they make at Georgia Wines. My favorites are those made with Muscadine grapes. According to the Georgia Wines website, Muscadines are “Different than most grapes in that they do not grow in a bunch. They grow two to three together on the vine, are thick-skinned, pulpy, and have large seeds. Their flavor is phenomenal, and their aroma is heavenly. The Muscadine grape makes a most wonderfully delicious sweet wine: incomparable and delectable.” After tasting a few of the wines made with these incredible grapes, I’d have to agree. My two favorites are Georgia on My Mind which is made from a heavenly mix of peaches and Muscadines and Chattanooga Blush. Both of these are sweet and fruity and incredible. Whenever I have a chance, I take a quick trip to Georgia Wines and pick up a bottle or two of these delectable drinks.

I may never be the consumate cosmopolitan sophisticate who goes to wine and cheese tastings on a regular basis, but I’m glad I’ve found my bliss of the vine and am at least able to understand what the attraction is.