The Difference In Chilling Sparkling Vs. Still Moscato Wines

Chilled wine is better wine — well, at least sometimes it is. While preferences play a role in whether or not to cool down a bottle of vino, there's actually a reason why some wines benefit from being served at lower temperatures. According to Usual Wines, chilling white, rosé, and sparkling wines can accentuate delicate aromas and refreshing acidity. However, not all wines should be chilled the same way. When it comes to Moscato, chilling differs between still and sparkling styles.

Moscato, the Italian name for Muscat Blanc, is one of northern Italy's many oenological jewels. While you might think that Moscato is synonymous with cotton candy-esque dessert wines, that's only partially accurate. Wine Folly explains that there are several other styles that can be made with the grape including semi-sparkling Moscato d'Asti and sparkling Asti Spumante, in addition to still white, rosé, and even red Muscatel wines that are drier, but equally as aromatic as their sweeter counterparts.

Typically, Italian Moscato (still or sparkling) tends to display citrus and floral notes on the nose, with peach and orange blossom on the palate, notes Mama Blip. Similar to Riesling, VinePair explains that given the grape's natural tendency towards sweetness, the best pairings for Moscato tend to contrast sugar with spice, which is why Asian and Indian cuisines work so well. But, before you can pour a glass of either sweet and still or a palate-cleansing bubbly Moscato, it's imperative that the bottles have been properly chilled.

Since sparkling and still wines have different compositions, they need to be served at different temperatures. While still white wines should be chilled to about 45 degrees Fahrenheit for drier styles and about 50 degrees Fahrenheit for sugary styles to highlight their minerality, VineBox shares that sparkling wines should be served a bit cooler, but not to the point where flavors are muted. That said, Usual Wines recommends that bottles of bubbly such as sparkling Moscato should be kept around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which will help maintain effervescence and ensure that corks don't pop off unexpectedly.

As for chilling still or sparkling Moscato, Wine Enthusiast explains that a few hours in the fridge is the most ideal method to chill wine. However, sometimes there's just not enough time to do so. Rather than dilute your wine with ice cubes, you could wrap a bottle in a damp paper towel and plunge it into the freezer or, better yet, give the wine a salty ice bath — just make sure to twist bottles around in place every few minutes to quickly drop temperatures.

The last tip for keeping Moscato cool is to pour the wine into the proper glasses. Despite the fact that still Moscato is best served in a white wine glass to concentrate aromas and sparkling Moscato served in a flute glass to help maintain carbonation, Winevore emphasizes that glasses should always be stemmed to prevent the Moscato from prematurely warming.