Grape variety

Muscat Hamburg

玫瑰香méiguixiāng

'Rose fragrance': the perfumed grape that China eats, and drinks

Type: Grape variety
Colour: red
Family: Ancient and heritage
Origin: England, 19th century: a cross of Trollinger (Schiava Grossa) and Muscat of Alexandria
Main regions: Xinjiang, Shandong, Hebei
Synonyms: Black Muscat, Moscato di Amburgo
Literal meaning: 'Rose fragrance'

Taste profile

Body
LightFull
Body: 2 out of 5
Tannin
LowHigh
Tannin: 1 out of 5
Acidity
LowHigh
Acidity: 3 out of 5
Fruit
SubtleIntense
Fruit: 5 out of 5

Aromas

rose
grape
lychee
orange blossom
Intensely grapey and floral: rose petals
lychee and orange blossom.

Sweetness · often off-dry or sweet

Muscat Hamburg is a black Muscat grape, intensely perfumed. In China it is called 玫瑰香, 'rose fragrance', and it is one of the country's best-known grapes: sold in markets as a table grape and made into fragrant white, rosé and sweet wines. In Xinjiang, Chateau Tianyu's rosé from Muscat Hamburg won a medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

A grape that smells of roses

Muscat Hamburg was bred in 19th-century England, from a cross of the black table grape Trollinger and Muscat of Alexandria. It has dark skins and the unmistakable perfume of all Muscats: grapes, roses, orange blossom.

China's 'rose fragrance'

The Chinese name says it all: 玫瑰香, 'rose fragrance'. It is one of the most familiar grapes in China, eaten fresh in late summer and also made into wine. For many Chinese drinkers of past generations, the sweet, perfumed wines made from it were their first taste of grape wine.

In the glass

Today it is used for fragrant dry and off-dry whites, rosés and sweet wines. In Yanqi, Xinjiang, Chateau Tianyu's rosé from Muscat Hamburg won a Bronze medal at the 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards, praised for its clean, typical Muscat nose and fine aromatic palate.

What to expect

Light body, intense floral and grapey aromas, and often a touch of sweetness.

History in China

Muscat Hamburg is among the European grapes that arrived in China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when wineries such as Changyu imported more than a hundred varieties from Europe. It adapted well and spread widely, becoming both a popular table grape and a base for sweet and aromatic wines.

Growing

Muscat Hamburg is vigorous and productive and adapts to many climates. In China it is grown from the coast of Shandong and Hebei to the oases of Xinjiang, where heat and sunshine concentrate its aromas.