Sauvignon Blanc Vs Moscato: What's The Actual Difference

The white wine aisle is supported by a few load-bearing pillars. Two of them are sauvignon blanc and moscato. Both wines deliver light- to medium-bodied wines with layered character that can impress even an untrained palate. From there, however, these styles diverge, each offering strengths suited to different occasions. To steer discerning viticulturalists in the right direction, we're breaking it down. 

The most immediately apparent difference between them is sweetness — or the lack of it. Sauvignon blanc traditionally leans dry, although its true position on the dry-to-sweet spectrum is more nuanced than that. Moscato, by contrast, is generally sweet, straying as far as off-dry but no further. Much of that sweetness comes from residual sugars left behind during the winemaking process. To keep those sugars intact, winemakers prematurely halt the fermentation process, resulting in a low ABV of 5 to 9% – well below blanc's 12.5% to 14% ABV.

Moscato wine is made from muscat grapes, an intensely aromatic heritage varietal. Its naturally strong fragrance is caused by the grape's high concentration of terpene compounds. In fact, etymologists maintain that the word muscat itself derives from the Latin "muscus" meaning "musk." On the palate, moscato arrives light and delicate without sacrificing intensity. Its dominant tasting notes are honeysuckle and stone fruits like white peach and apricot – floral and fruity, but more florally expressive than fruity. Secondary notes of lychee, orange blossom, ripe pear, and rose petal keep this lively, low-alc wine engaging and not cloying. Its sweetness is counterbalanced by a moderate degree of acidity, a balance that is shared to some degree by sauvignon blanc. Bright, zesty sauv blanc is moderately aromatic and highly acidic, while easygoing moscato is highly aromatic and semi-acidic.

Moscato hails from Piedmont, Italy, and is generally regarded as an Italian wine. However, moscato is also produced throughout Spain and California, the latter of which is responsible for the rising "pink moscato" trend. Pink moscatos are made by blending muscat grapes with red Merlot or Grenache grapes, resulting in a blush hue with tasting notes of wild strawberry and melon – not a traditional moscato wine, but no less popular. Moscato is also produced in Southern France and Australia, but these regions tend to branch off into fortified dessert wines with richer, honeyed bodies. 

Geographically northwest, sauvignon traces its roots to France, particularly Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. Beyond coastal Europe, the sauvignon blanc grape variety is known for its hardiness, making it a popular cultivar worldwide. The grape can thrive in myriad climates from Washington state to Marlborough to Argentina. Its signature tasting notes deliver an eclectic bouquet ranging from gooseberry and honeydew to grapefruit, grass, asparagus, passion fruit, green bell pepper, flint, shale, and salinity. However, even more than exact flavor notes, sauvignon blanc is known for its vibrant acidity.

Far more than moscato does, terroir impacts the nuanced flavors from one bottle of sauvignon blanc to the next. Sauv blancs produced in cool-climate regions like coastal Chile or the Loire Valley are known for their expressive minerality and zippy, clean acidity. Meanwhile, sauvignon blancs made in warmer climates like New Zealand more strongly showcase the wine's passion fruit tones and green flavors — namely vegetal green bell pepper and freshly cut grass — caused by the grape's naturally high levels of the compound pyrazine.

These major types of white wine also offer varying levels of effervescence and aging potential. Unlike sauvignon blanc, some moscato varieties feature a semi-sparkling mouthfeel with soft bubbles (e.g., Italian Moscato d'Asti or the more intensely carbonated Asti Spumante). On the other hand, most sauvignon blanc is still. Whether sparkling or still, fresh, bright moscato is not aged. Its springtime flavors are meant to be consumed young. By contrast, sauvignon blanc can be oak-aged for a rounder, fuller body. This practice is particularly common among sauv blancs made in California.

When it comes to food pairings, moscato is more culinarily versatile than sauvignon blanc. Its sweetness, low ABV, and dynamic floral-fruity interplay make it an easy match for a wide array of sweet and savory dishes alike. On the charcuterie board, pungent blue cheese like Papillon Roquefort is a classic moscato cheese pairing. This semi-soft French sheep's milk fromage delivers piquant, briny, oceanic tasting notes that float atop an earthy base layer of pronounced funk — which can be tricky to pair with. Moscato's sweetness also makes it a fabulous pairing for spicy dishes. That touch of sugar acts as a heat-quelling agent.

Somewhat more limited but no less rewarding, sauvignon blanc is the unofficial darling of the seafood world, complementing everything from butter-basted scallops to raw oysters to blackened whitefish. Its green-tinged vivacity is also a common pairing alongside tangy goat cheese and ultra-herbaceous entrees like pesto pasta.