Wishing for a late afternoon aperitif, I selected a white Muscat from Degrassi. Degrassi Winery is in the Istria region of Croatia in a village called Savudrija. We visited the winery last spring, and enjoyed the Muscat. The Degrassi winery magically combines the old with the new. The wonderful tasting room offers wine produced with some of the newest winery equipment with large displays of amphorae carefully housed in alcoves.

The wine was a straw color with a green tint. Orange blossoms were on the aroma, typical of many Muscat wines. Too much swirling diminishes the orange blossom aroma. The citrus taste was predominantly orange. There was a hint of almond on the taste. The finish was crisp. The wine was a good choice for an aperitif. It would also make a good dessert wine paired with cookies that had almonds or almond extract in the ingredients.

Thinking of the upcoming Thanksgiving Day foods, this wine may also go well with turkey. The crispness would help to cleanse the palate. The orange matches with cranberry relish made with orange juice and grated orange rind. Our Thanksgiving Day cranberry relish always is made with frozen cranberries, freshly squeezed orange juice and grated orange rind. This cranberry relish recipe goes well with the turkey and the wine would compliment it.

Cheers,
Terry