Muscat de Noel

The Muscat de Noël is a special cuvee for the new Muscat de Rivesaltes. It has the particularity of offering all the freshness and aromas of the just-picked, crisp and fresh grape. Elegant and charming, with pearly reflections, it announces the beginnings of the holidays.Very good as an aperitif, it also pairs well with foie gras, white meat or fish. The Muscat de Noel is also a perfect match for several cheeses among which Roquefort, fresh goat, sheep, and Parmesan cheese. It also magnifies exotic fruit sorbets, honey desserts, meringue lemon tarts, Christmas and King cake. In the 14th century, the first Muscat of the year was traditionally served at the table of the Royal Court of Barcelona, during the celebrations of the Nativity. Later forgotten, some passionate winegrowers proud of their first Muscat, decided in 1997 to revive the tradition by making it known to the greatest number.  Muscat de Noël is obtained by a rigorous process which consists of adding 96% vinified neutral alcohol to the fermentation must in a proportion of 5 to 10% of the total volume. This operation, called “mutage”, makes it possible to suspend the action of the yeasts before they have been able to convert all the sugar into alcohol.