Tomasello Watermelon Moscato

Tomasello Watermelon Moscato is a sweet fruit wine from a New Jersey producer. It pairs the floral, grapey side of Moscato with watermelon flavor. The brand describes it as fruit-forward, so expect the watermelon to lead, with a perfumed, grape-like background and a juicy, candy-adjacent sweetness. Wines in this style are usually light-bodied and have essentially no tannin or oak influence. Acidity tends to be gentle, and the finish is short, soft and fruity rather than dry or structured. The brand doesn't publish technical specs, so treat the profile above as what this style typically delivers, not a lab-measured result. Serve it well chilled, around 40 to 45°F, which keeps the sweetness fresh instead of syrupy. Plan on roughly two hours in the refrigerator, or about 30 minutes in an ice bath. There's no reason to decant. A wine like this has no tannin to soften and no sediment to separate, and extra air would only dull the fruit aromas. A standard white wine glass or a small tulip-shaped glass works well, since the narrower rim concentrates the watermelon and floral notes. Fill it only about a third full so the wine stays cold. For food, sweetness is the thing to work with. Salty and spicy dishes make good partners: prosciutto-wrapped melon, feta and mint salad, grilled shrimp with chili, or Thai and Szechuan-style dishes where the sugar tempers the heat. It also suits fruit plates, soft fresh cheeses like ricotta or chèvre, and simple desserts such as angel food cake or sorbet. It can stand on its own as a dessert pour as well. Over ice with a few frozen watermelon cubes, it makes an easy warm-weather spritzer base. This is a drink-now bottle. Fruit-flavored sweet wines are made for freshness and aren't meant for cellaring. Keep it cold, and finish it within a few days of opening, with the cork or screw cap on in the refrigerator.