Morio Muskat

Morio Muscat
Grape (Vitis)
Morio Muscat in Rheingau, Germany
Color of berry skin	Blanc
Species	Vitis vinifera
Also called	Morio-Muskat
Origin	Palatinate, Germany
Notable regions	Germany

Morio Muscat (also known as Morio-Muskat) is a white wine grape that was created by viticulturalist Peter Morio at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in the Palatinate in 1928. He claimed to have crossed the varieties Silvaner and Pinot blanc, but based on the variety's properties it has been speculated that he actually crossed Silvaner and Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. But so far this speculation has yet to be conclusively proven. The grape is highly aromatic with a "grapey" characteristic reminiscent of Muscat grape varieties. The grape is rarely used for varietal wines because it requires a high level of ripeness to avoid producing wine with a "mousey" flavor, a coarse texture and overabundance of acidity.

Viticulturalist Peter Morio created this grape variety from, what was reported as, Silvaner and Weissburgunder (Pinot blanc) as a potential blending partner for Müller-Thurgau and component in Liebfraumilch. Despite being the offspring of two grape varieties (Silvaner & Pinot blanc) that are not very aromatic, the Morio Muscat is a very aromatic grape variety with aromas more closely aligned with the Muscat family.

Morio Muscat remains the most popular "Muscat" in Germany, despite the possibility that the grape might not be a member of the Muscat family. The grape was used extensively in Germany in the 1970s as a blending companion to Müller-Thurgau to enhance the aroma of the latter, but has been in steep decline in recent years. In 2006 it was cultivated on 541 hectares (1,340 acres) of vineyard in Germany, down from 1,167 hectares (2,880 acres) in 1999.