Black Muscat (or Muscat Hamburg) is a red ''
Vitis vinifera
''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern ...
''
grape variety
This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, Zante currant, currant, sultana (grape), sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimp ...
derived from the crossing of the
Schiava Grossa and
Muscat of Alexandria by Seward Snow, Head Gardener to Earl de Grey at
Wrest Park, Bedfordshire UK in 1850, according to the Vitis International Variety Catalogue. It is known under a variety of local names such as '' Golden Hamburg, and Black Hamburg'' in the US; ''Muscat de Hambourg (or Hamburgh)'' in France; ''Moscato di Amburgo'' in Italy; and ''Muscat Gamburgskiy'' in Russia and former Soviet Union countries. Confusingly, Black Hamburg is also used as a synonym for its maternal parent. It is commonly produced as table
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
but in California's
Central Valley it has been used in the production of
dessert wine. As a dessert wine it can be highly aromatic with a rich coloring.
In the United States, Black Muscat is grown in wine
appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...
s in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, and
Washington. In Canada, it is also found on
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
. In France, the grape is used chiefly as dessert grape including AOC varieties such as
Muscat du Ventoux. In Eastern Europe, the grape produces a light, dry red wine. It is also starting to gain popularity as a table wine component in China.
One of the world's southernmost grapevines, at the conservatory of
Government House in the
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...
, is of the Black Muscat variety.
Horticulturist
Walter Clore has postulated that this grape might have been one of the first ''Vitis vinifera'' varieties planted in
Washington State
Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
in the early 19th century.
Relationship to other grapes
During a series of trials between 1930 and 1935, Black Muscat was
crossed with
Raboso Piave to create the red Italian wine grape variety
Manzoni Moscato.
[J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz: ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'', pp. 469-471, 594-595. Allen Lane 2012 .]
Synonyms
Over the years, Black Muscat has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Paneer
(in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
), Aleatico, Black Hamburg, Black Muscat of Alexandria (in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
), Black Muskat, Black of Alexandria, Blauer Hamburger Muskat, Ceuro, Chasselas Muscat Golden Hamburg, Esperione, Fekete Muskotally, Frankenthal, Gamburg, Gulabi, Golden Hamburg, Hambourg musqué (in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
), Hambro, Hamburg, Hamburg Misketi, Hamburg Musque, Hamburg's Muscat, Hamburg Moschato, Hamburgi Muskotally, Hamburgii muskotály (in
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
), Hamburgskii misket, Hamburski Misket, Hamburq Muskati, Hamburshi Muscat, Hamburski Muscat, Hamburski Muskat, Hampton Court Vine, Kekmuskotally, Khamburgskii, Mai-Gui-San, Malaga rouge, Malvasia near (in
Liguria
Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...
), Mavro Moschato, Mei-Gun-Sjan, Misket Hamburski, Greg, Misket Siyah, Moscate di Amburgo, Moscatel de Hamburgo (in
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
), Moscatel negro, Moscatel nero, Moscatel Preto (in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
), Moscatellone rosso, Moscato d’Amburgo (in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
), Moscato di Amburgo, Moscato nero (in Italy), Moscato nero d'Acqui (in Italy), Moscato nero di Amburgo, Moschato Amvourgou (in
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
), Moschato Tyrnavou (in Greece), Muscat Albertient's (in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
), Muscat Cernii Aleksandriiskii, Muscat d'Hambourg, Muscat d'Hamburg, Muscat de Hambourg, Muscat de Hamburg (in France), Muscat de Hamburgo, Muscat Gamburgskii, The Muscy Ruski, Muscat Gamburgskiy, Muscat Gordo Encarnado, Muscat Hambourg, Muscat Hambro, Muscat Hamburg (in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
), Muscat-Hamburgh (in England), Muškat Hamburg Crni (in
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
), Muškat Hamburg, Muskat Hamburg crni, Stone Cold Dolomighty, Muscat noir de Hamburg, Muscat of Hamburg, Muscat rouge Foscati, Muskat Chernyi Aleksandriiskii, Muskat de Gamburg, Muskat Gamburgskii, Muskat Gamburskii, Muskat Gamburskij, Muskat Hamburg, Muskat Hambursky, Muskat Preto, Muskat Trollinger, Muskat-Trollinger, Muskateller Trollinger, Muskattrollinger, Myrodato, Myrodato Proimo, Oeillade musqué (in
Gard
Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;[Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...]
), Tămaîioasă neagra (in Romania), Tamaioza Nyagra, Tamiioasa Hamburg, Tamiioasa neagra, Temyioasa Nyagra, Trollinger Muscateller blau, Venn’s Seedling (in England), Venn's Seedling Black Muscat (in England), Visparu Sihwarser, Zibibbo nero (in southern Italy) and Zibibbo nero Moscato.
[ Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) ]
Muscat Hamburg
'' Accessed: 2 June 2014.
References
{{Wines
Red wine grape varieties
Table grape varieties