Barefoot Red Moscato

Barefoot Red Moscato is a fruit-forward dessert wine from Massachusetts. The Red Moscato style starts from the Muscat family, which is known for perfumed aromatics, and adds a red-berry slant. Expect a sweet wine with lifted notes of strawberry, raspberry and red cherry over floral, orange-blossom and grape-candy aromas. Styles like this usually have light to medium body, very little tannin because there is almost no grip from skins or oak, and enough acidity to keep the sweetness from turning syrupy. Many bottlings also carry a faint spritz. Check the label for the exact alcohol level and sweetness, since neither is listed in the product details here. Serve it well chilled, around 45 to 50°F (7 to 10°C), which keeps the fruit bright and the sweetness in check. A couple of hours in the refrigerator, or about 30 minutes in an ice bath, gets it there. It does not need decanting, because there are no heavy tannins to soften and the aromatics are best kept intact. A standard white wine glass with a modest bowl concentrates the floral and berry notes better than a wide red wine glass. A small dessert wine glass also works if you are pouring it as a finish to a meal. Sweet wines like this work best with food that is salty, spicy or tart. Try it with a sharp blue cheese or aged cheddar, prosciutto-wrapped melon, or mildly spiced Thai and Szechuan dishes, where the sweetness cools the heat. It also suits fruit-based desserts such as raspberry tarts, strawberry shortcake or a dark chocolate brownie with berries. Matching the wine's sweetness to the dessert is the main thing to watch. A dessert much sweeter than the wine will make it taste thin and sour by comparison. This is a drink-now bottle. Light, fruity Moscato-style wines are made for freshness and usually fade rather than improve with years in a cellar. Keep it cool, and once opened, recork and refrigerate it, finishing it within a few days while the fruit and any fizz hold up.