Moscato--Ghetto or Not Ghetto?

[wildviolet]

Yesterday this story came out from NPR:

Moscato Finds A Younger, Hipper — And Browner — Audience

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/06/27/196210549/MOSCATO

 

In the comments, some people are getting mighty angry. What do you think? Honestly, I'm rarely in-the-know with all the pop culture stuff, but I've had personal experience with this one... I'd venture to say that my sister, who is not necessarily "ghetto" (although we grew up in the ghetto neighborhoods of our city), loves moscato, fruity cocktails, and whites/blushes and hasn't quite "graduated" yet to complex reds. Me? I drink mostly reds, like merlot and pinot noir, and will occasionally drink whites (especially on hot summer days), and I absolutely hate the sweet wines.

 

What do you like to drink?

Edited June 28, 2013 by wildviolet

[TakeruK]

I like to drink white wines -- usually the sweeter stuff like a Riesling or Gewurztraminer. I also really like the super sweet ice wines (i.e. natural sugars from the grapes, not added sugar) for special occasions. I don't really follow the "wine pairings" and just drink what I like with food that I like! Although, I could be convinced to drink something that I wouldn't normally drink (e.g. a red) if someone says it would really go well with whatever I'm eating.

 

Wine is not usually my drink of choice though. I normally like fruiter drinks, such as fruit flavoured beers! My standard drink when I'm not sure what to get is a rum and coke. When I go out, I tend to be more likely to order a fruity cocktail since it's something that would take more effort for me to make at home!

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I didn't read the article nor do i like wine, but I'll comment on the topic. Moscata is the accidental recipient of a "ghetto" audience because there was a point about a year ago when a popular rap song said Moscata in the chorus. It happens all the time in music, especially hip-hop. Someone says something and everyone becomes curious. Example, Dre used the obscure (in the hip-hop world) word "reminisce", and since then it's become one of the most popular words in hip-hop history.

[Andean Pat]

err.... Two things:

 

1) My country is a world renowned wine producer, not only we are used to drinking wine, but high quality wine.

 

2) My second last name (my mother's) is Moscato.

[CageFree]

For white, I stick to Riesling and the occasional Pinot Grigio. For red, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Beaujolais, maybe a Merlot. I don't like dry wines.

[wildviolet]

I didn't read the article nor do i like wine, but I'll comment on the topic. Moscata is the accidental recipient of a "ghetto" audience because there was a point about a year ago when a popular rap song said Moscata in the chorus. It happens all the time in music, especially hip-hop. Someone says something and everyone becomes curious. Example, Dre used the obscure (in the hip-hop world) word "reminisce", and since then it's become one of the most popular words in hip-hop history.

 

Yes, the article brings this up, which is why some people got mad.

[wildviolet]

I don't really follow the "wine pairings" and just drink what I like with food that I like!

 

LOL. Me, too! I drink reds with everything. I will indulge in a fruity cocktail once in a while, but I prefer to save the sweet stuff for dessert.

[rising_star]

I found the whole NPR story very interesting. My guess is that wine and beer are similar in that people develop more of a palate over time. Like, when I started drinking beer, I couldn't stand dark beers because I felt like they were too heavy. Now I adore them and drink them all the time. I have never invested time in learning about wine though. I think I'd drink more wine if I didn't live alone but it sometimes seems like a lot of fuss to open a bottle, pour a glass, and then try to finish the bottle before the air spoils it. For whites, I prefer Sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio. I will drink riesling or chardonnay sometimes, but they're definitely not my first choice. For reds, I like tempranillo, carmenere, shiraz/syrah, and merlot. Oh, and some pinot noirs. I'm not into cabs at all.

 

I do find it odd that one particular wine has become so associated with a cultural niche and I kinda wonder how long that will last. Will moscato and hip-hop be going together in five years? Doubtful. So, if wine growers are growing extra moscato, they may end up with a product they can't really sell. The only time I drink moscato is in lieu of something like ice wine as a dessert wine. It's too sweet the rest of the time, though maybe it could be tolerable in a white wine spritzer. Anyway, I'm totally curious as to how these cultural whims affect production and what happens in five or ten years. Will moscato be over produced and thus super affordable in the near future? Or, will its popularity lead to better quality and/or rising prices? I know way too little about the wine industry I'm now realizing.

 

(P.S. It's entirely possible I've misspelled everything since Firefox has underlined every wine I listed except chardonnay. So, apologies for the spelling issues.)

[zapster]

I think I'd drink more wine if I didn't live alone but it sometimes seems like a lot of fuss to open a bottle, pour a glass, and then try to finish the bottle before the air spoils it. 

 

Mini wine-bottles; vacuum pump storage may help

 

 

Also, don't know enough, but aren't a lot of the economics of wine production are driven by an active trading and futures market? Some of these capture future expected crop trends etc., and I suspect cultural trends are probably "manipulated" by underlying production trends rather than the other way around ?

[ruru107]

I love moscato, and I definitely would not describe myself as part of the hip hop scene. That's sort of an arbitrary assumption to make. I just prefer sweeter drinks. I would prefer a rum and coke over an old fashioned, and a hard cider over a beer. Maybe it means I'm not "cultured" enough to appreciate less sweet drinks, but so be it. I'll drink what I like.

[rising_star]

Mini wine-bottles; vacuum pump storage may help

If the wines I like came in mini bottles, that would be an option. Unfortunately, around here, if you get mini bottles then you're getting Sutter Home, which is just not what I prefer to drink.

[juilletmercredi]

I'm skeptical.

 

This article doesn't actually share any consumer data about the average moscato drinker.  The only "data" it has to support the idea that moscato drinkers are primarily African American and younger is that it's big in hip-hop music.  Well, that's silly, because anyone who listens to hip hop knows that artists often rap about things their listeners can't afford (like Cristal).  Also, most African Americans don't run out and buy something just because Nicki Minaj or Drake mentions it.  Sounds like old-fashioned stereotyping wrapped in the guise of economic "research."

 

If he had actually presented some market research data that would be a different story.

 

Secondly I am so tired of the wine industry.  I love wine - many different kinds of wine, including moscato, although it certainly wasn't my introduction to wine.  I do tend to prefer sweeter wines to dry wines, although not too sweet (I don't like most moscatos).  But I hate this idea that there are some wines more "sophisticated" than others.  It's been shown time and again that wine-tasting is pure bullshit and that even master wine tasters can't really taste the differences between different wines reliably - and that sometimes they can't even tell the difference between reds and whites, if the whites are colored with food coloring.  It's all a shill to sell bottles.  Why is dry wine "more mature" and somehow less ghetto, and require "graduating" to, than a sweet moscato or a Riesling or something?  I don't understand why people have to be so snobby about wine.  If people are buying your bottles, wineries, why the hell do you care?

[xypathos]

My Episcopal church has bi-weekly house parties (as a lot of Episcopal churches do), and moscato is generally always there. So, while not 'ghetto' in my particular situation, I don't see how the wine can be classified as ghetto. Anyway, Episcopalians love to drink and that's why most have heard the line "Whereever you find four Episcopalians, you'll find a fifth."

 

I'm not a big wine drinker and honestly, I'll take a table wine (sweet red) over any other kind of wine, any day of the week.

 

I prefer beer myself and as far as liquor is concerned, bourbon please.

[msafiri]

My Episcopal church has bi-weekly house parties (as a lot of Episcopal churches do), and moscato is generally always there. So, while not 'ghetto' in my particular situation, I don't see how the wine can be classified as ghetto. Anyway, Episcopalians love to drink and that's why most have heard the line "Whereever you find four Episcopalians, you'll find a fifth."

Clearly I grew up in the wrong church! Is there any particular reason why moscato is generally there? I'm totally curious (and looking up my nearest Episcopal church!)

[xypathos]

I can't really say why it's always there, it probably has a lot to do with it being a popular wine and the fact that it pairs well with a lot of things. You can get moscato as a red or white wine, your generic table version will be somewhere around 14%, but moscato also makes a nice dessert wine where the % can go into the 20s. In Hispanic countries, the grapes are also used for sherry and brandy. All of this knowledge is thanks to a British couple in our parish that lived throughout South America for the better part of 20 years.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I had to bring back this thread. I've never been a wine guy. And I'm an alcohol connoisseur. I've went through phases of every kind of alcohol. Even went through a wine phase. I felt reds to be too sticky and whites to be too boring. 

 

That brings me to why I re-upped this thread. My roommate buys those little 6-packs of mini wine bottles from the ghetto corner store. I tried a few of them (white zinfandel, merlot, etc) and it didn't change my view on wines. Anyway, I tried a pink moscato from Sutter Home. Wow... It makes me want to drop my usual drinks of choice (stout and whiskey) and start drinking this stuff. It's a Rose' so it's in between red and white, but I shit you not when I say it takes the best characteristics from both. Has anyone ever had this? 

Edited August 1, 2013 by JoeyBoy718

[xypathos]

I won't deny it, I've had some Sutter Home varieties and Boone's Farm (before they turned the brand into a malt beverage). I can't say that I've had Pink Moscato specifically, but I'll keep an eye out for it the next time I'm in a wine mood.