RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
A nice glass of wine may seem like a luxury during tough economic times, but it is possible to indulge without breaking the bank. As WEEKEND EDITION food commentator Bonny Wolf discovered, a sweet Italian wine is gaining new popularity with a little help from some big named bands.
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BONNY WOLF, BYLINE: That was hip-hop singer Drake with a shout out to an Italian dessert wine? The same wine a handful of other hip-hop artists sing about. The wine Kanye West orders for special parties. The wine Real Housewife of Atlanta NeNe Leakes has just started selling under the label Miss Moscato. Until a few years ago, the ancient Italian wine moscato could have been described as obscure; what one wine expert called a little backwater grape. Now the words used about the rise of moscato are breathtaking, phenomenal, insane. Industry watchers say they've never seen anything like it. Danny Brager, VP of the alcoholic beverages division at Nielsen, says moscato madness is not just on the coasts. It's not only in cities. It's everywhere. According to Brager, a Nielsen analysis found moscato sales up 73 percent in the 12 months ending January 7. That's on top of the 100 percent growth from 2010. It is the fastest growing varietal wine in the country. Brager says every wine supplier is racing to get on this trend. They're combing the world for more grapes and growing their own. It's no longer only small Italian wineries. Jugs of Barefoot moscato are sold at BJs Wholesale Club. It's on the menu at Olive Garden. What's up with that? Well, it's inexpensive - generally $8 to $20 a bottle, good price point in a recession. It's low in alcohol and has a lightly sweet, fresh flavor with hints of peaches, apricots, pears, orange blossoms, rose petals - all nice. And sweet wines are selling big, especially to the under-40 crowd who grew up imbibing sugary drinks. Then there's the whole hip-hop, edgy thing. Drink moscato and you'll be cool like rapper Waka Flocka, which marketers pick up on - or start - and the whole thing goes round and round. It happened with Cristal champagne, Hennessy cognac and Patron tequila. But why moscato, once a niche after-dinner wine nice with fruit desserts? It may remain one of life's mysteries, but as hip-hop artist Ab-Soul sings:
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MARTIN: Bonny Wolf is the author of "Talking with My Mouth Full" and contributing editor of NPR's Kitchen Window. This is NPR News.