the Muscat grape Or: The Little Grape that Could It was referred
to by Pliny the Elder as uva apiana, or "Grape of the Bees." It
has been cultivated and harvested in the Mediterranean region
for more than 3,000 years, and some wine historians would go so
far as to say it was the first grape to evolve. Others go
further, claiming it was the first grape to be used in
winemaking. Regardless of all this, the hundreds of varieties of
the Muscat grape have been favored for thousands of years for
many purposes, whether it be eaten out of hand fresh, nibbled on
as raisins, or drank in the form of a fine wine. As noted above,
a Muscat grape can be one of any variety, from white grapes to
black grapes, in the Muscat family. The grapes are characterized
not only by their sweetness, but strong spicy, earthy, and
floral notes, or in other words, a "musky" aroma. They grow best
in temperate climates such as California, France, Greece, Italy,
and Spain, though they are not limited to these regions. Pliny's
remark about them