Black Muscat
Rudolf Goethe: Handbuch der Tafeltraubenkultur
Species:	Vitis vinifera
Also called:	Golden Hamburg, Muscat Hamburg, Black Hamburg (US); Muscat de Hambourg (France); Moscato di Amburgo (Italy; Muscat Gamburgskiy (Russia)
Origin:	Germany
Notable regions:	California, Virginia, Pacific Northwest, Vancouver Island, China, Eastern Europe

Black Muscat is a Vitis vinifera grape variety derived from the crossing of the Schiava Grossa and Muscat of Alexandria varieties. 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 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 US it is grown in wine appellations in California, Virginia, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. In Canada, it is also found on Vancouver Island. ^[1]

In France, the grape is used chiefly as a component of fruit baskets. 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. ^[2]

Horticulturist Walter Clore has postulated that this grape might have been one of the first Vitis vinifera varieties planted in Washington State in the early 19th century. ^[3]

[edit] References