Samos (sweet Muscat)

Samos is the famed sweet Muscat of the Aegean — a fortified vin doux made almost exclusively from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains grown on the steep, high terraces of the Greek island of Samos, close to the Turkish coast. It is a luminous golden-amber wine of roughly 15 percent alcohol, richly sweet yet lifted, tasting intensely of the fresh grape itself — honeyed apricot, orange marmalade, raisin and a floral, musky perfume. Poured cool in a small glass, it is one of the Mediterranean's great dessert wines and a long-time favourite of the Catholic Church for altar wine.