Muscat of Alexandria
Also known as Zibibbo, Moscatel de Alejandría, Hanepoot, Gordo Blanco
Probably Mediterranean, Greece
A sun-loving, grapey white, a cross of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and Axina de Tres Bias, used for sweet and fortified wines, brandy and table grapes.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Widely planted
Climate
Warm climate
Ripening
Late season
Wine styles
Still, Dessert, Fortified
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
Italy
Spain
Málaga
Moscatel de Alejandría for sweet wines and raisins.
South Africa
Background
Origin & History
DNA analysis shows Muscat of Alexandria to be a natural cross of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and Axina de Tres Bias. It is a big-berried, late-ripening grape that needs heat, and it was carried around the Mediterranean and later to the New World.
It is Zibibbo in Sicily, where it makes the sweet passito of Pantelleria, Hanepoot in South Africa, Moscatel in Spain and Portugal, and Gordo Blanco in Australia. It is a parent of Torrontés Riojano, with Listán Prieto, and of Muscat Hamburg, with Trollinger.
Lineage
Family tree
Ancestry above, descendants below. Click a related grape to explore its own lineage.