Thursday, October 1, 2009

Banrock Station Moscato 2009


This is definitely a value wine. It was picked up by my wife while grocery shopping as a “backyard” casual sipper. In fact, this can be considered an ultra-value wine at about $4. Unfortunately, the price is just about the only good news.

While I would not give this wine my lowest rating (which is “ghastly”) it is not a very complex wine and comes to close to earning that label. It tends to the sweeter side of semi-dry and has a bit of fizz to it. The taste is citrusy with a prominent lemon tang. The body is rather flat with no finish to speak of. This is an Australian wine and the winery has been very supportive of environmental issues. Banrock Station’s 2002 Cabernet was selected as a top value wine by Wine Spectator, rated 86 with a price of $7. So the winery can produce some respectable wines. This Moscato, however, didn’t enchant us.

(I've noticed many people from around the world looking at this post. If you have tried this wine we would like to see your comment. PLEASE COMMENT by clicking on the comment link below. We would love to hear from you. Also read our follow-up article, by clicking “Rethinking Banrock Station Wines)

Rethinking Banrock Station Wines

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35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Actually I really enjoyed this wine. And I usually stick to the Merlot's and Cab's. It's real light and fruity. Tastes exactly like a reislin to me.

Dave Nershi, CSW said...

Glad you enjoyed it. It certainly is a great value. The slight fizz we had in our bottle made it interesting.

Thanks for the comment.

Anonymous said...

I haven't quite acquired a taste for full-bodied wines, so this was perfect for a beginner like me. Very sweet, and I liked the slight fizz.

Dave Nershi, CSW said...

Thanks for the comment. The bottom line with any wine really is whether you enjoy it -- and I'm glad you did. I'd also suggest trying Riesling.

Anonymous said...

I recently tried a bottle instead of drinking my usual favs... And I've converted to this one. My friends and I loved it.

Anonymous said...

I had this wine recently at a Chinese wedding dinner accompanied by Chinese food. Though it lacks finishing, it would suit most people.

Anonymous said...

im a moscato drinker and i love this wine, just tried it, and sticking to it.

Anonymous said...

This is my new favorite! I sampled a moscato at Olive Garden awhile back. It was very nice, but admittedly I am too much of a tightwad to pay $23/bottle. Looking in the supermarket, I first found Barefoot Moscato and thought/hoped it would be close...one sip and the rest went down the drain. It was "ghastly"! Then, by accident, I landed on the Banrock Station and decided to give it a whirl. It's affordable, light, flavorful, and very easy to drink. I've been telling everyone about this wine and have won over a few converts.

Anonymous said...

Sutter Home Moscato, in my opinion, is even better then Barefoot. And the LARGE bottle was only $9.99. Ice cold is the best way to drink it!!!

Anonymous said...

I disagree. The wine is delightful. I don't know exactly what you expect for an inexpensive wine, but I think it is a great value. The very slight fizz(and it is very slight), the citrusy tang and the fact that is does finish clean, are all plusses. This is not intended to be an extremely complex wine. Why do people think every wine must leave you amazed and vexed? The simplicity is nice as well. It is very summery and enjoyable like a lemonade on a July afternoon.

Dave Nershi, CSW said...

This wine has a lot of fans!

Joe said...

I went to the store to buy a cheap wine to cook with and the Banrock Moscato caught my eye (or, rather, the large yellow sale sign that said "2 for $11"). Fully expecting it to be foul and sour, I took a swig from the bottle before pouring some into the pot of mussels and I couldn't have been more surprised/pleased. It's sweet and light with a lemony finish. Great served ice cold and absolutely wonderful with seafood.

Anonymous said...

I put it on my wine list simply to cater to those who need a sweet simple wine. Not everyone enjoys petite syrah and this is something my waitstaff can suggest to white zinfandel drinkers

Dave Nershi, CSW said...

I'm always in favor of having options...

Anonymous said...

I enjoy drinking this wine, and it is the only wine i buy now

Anonymous said...

I love moscatos and a friend recently brought the Banrock brand to a ladies function! Everyone there absolutely loved and it is our favorite!

Anonymous said...

I really like the Banrock Moscato

Anonymous said...

I live in the USA anyone know where I can pick up a bottle, I cannot find a place that sells it and ships the moscato to the US.

Anonymous said...

Went to a health food store and found this wine. My taste tends to be on the sweet side. Usually I spend $13 and up for a Moscato so I was leary of the $5.99 price (Barefoot was not so good). Went back to the store today and got 6 more bottles. It's just nice light wine.

Anonymous said...

I agree that it is a lovely budget wine. As I'm a fan of Mamertino, this in my price range with a sweet note and just the right tang!

Anonymous said...

I was very happy with it as well. I like a wine that you can sip on with or without food. I came back to store to buy more, and found only one. I am currently sipping on it right now and looking online for deal for it. I like reislings and some moscatos. A new favorite -can't beat the price - $3.95!

Anonymous said...

My husband and I love the Banrock Moscato wine. It's modest price is a real bonus also. We found the California Crane Lake moscato to be ghastly.

Anonymous said...

Love this wine. I was not really a wine drinker before this experience because wine normally gives me a headache. This was smooth and delightful and I was headache-free (smilie). I was shocked to be able to find something of this taste in a local Sunoco gas station even though I KNOW they overcharged me. I think I will stick with it.

Anonymous said...

I do not enjoy wine and tend to stick to beer, but i loved this wine! Very sweet and tasty :)

Anonymous said...

My wife and I visited Banrock Station 2 years ago and tried Muscato there. After tasting a glass we were converted. When asked if they exported to New Zealand we were told that they didn't. My wife found a couple of bottles in a local supermarket yesterday and enjoyed a bottle with dinner tonight. A great cheap wine.

Anonymous said...

Hi I am from Trinidad and Tobago, I bought your delicious wine,opened it, had some and refrigerated the rest. When I went back for it the next day there was a residue almost like "grains" at the bottom of the bottle! Is this supposed to be like this? I'm not sure if this is safe for drinking? Please help!!

Thanks for your help!

Kaz said...

we brought a bottle of this at the local store as someone recommended we try Moscato. OMG, this is a delicious wine! Will be buying some more tomorrow!!!

Anonymous said...

I've tried numerous kinds of wine and have even volunteered as a pourer at a wine event fund raiser where I had the chance to try a vast array of wines. Ive never really been a big wine drinker. I just couldnt find one that I could finish the glass. Let me say that has all changed!!! I love this wine!!! I have a group of girls that I will be introducing this wine to this weekend. I know they too will love it!!!

Anonymous said...

I bought six different brands of Moscato to try to discern which one I liked best. I am a newbie to wine drinking and prefer sweet. After doing several different blind taste tests, Banrock is the clear winner with Lindeman's coming in 2nd. Banrock is light and fruity with just the perfect amount of sweet and finishing fizz on the tongue. I don't mind that it's a budget wine. That makes it taste even better. It's my pick to bring to a wine tasting that I am attending. I'm curious to see how many people I can convert.

Anonymous said...

Omg! Tried this wine at my sisters the other night, I love sweet wines but some of the moscatos I have tried haven't been all that nice, this one was awsome and even better is the fact that it's cheap, I can pretty much drink it down like lemonade because it's so light and fruity, am totally converted and having some more this weekend for Easter drinks nd BBQ! :)

Anonymous said...

.... maybe b`cos i hv a sweet tooth ... i just love moscato, esp the banrock`s ... zesty, fruity at moderate prices ... ceers!

moscato wine said...

Really awesome wine.

Anonymous said...

Where can you buy it in the states? Michigan to be exact.

Anonymous said...

I had the 2010, would the 2011 be the same?

Dave Nershi, CSW said...

You can find Banrock Station wines at many grocery stores. In Toledo, you can find it at Meier and Kroger. I would suggest asking the wine manager at a supermarket that has a good wine department.