Blueberry Jam Made with Moscato: A Sweet Alternative to Sugar

Indulge your senses with the irresistible fusion of ripe blueberries and the elegance of Moscato wine. This refined, sugar-free jam offers a superior aroma and taste, setting itself apart from traditional sugar-laden spreads.

In mid-July, after finishing my morning radio show on KBS FM, I started a memorable culinary journey to Jeongseon, a serene rural region in Gangwon Province. My mission? To craft a unique sugar-free blueberry jam for a senior acquaintance who had relocated to the countryside.

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Why Moscato and Blueberries Are the Perfect Match

As a dedicated food and wine enthusiast, I’ve long experimented with sugar-free jams, often using leftover wines. Sparkling wines like champagne stand out for their ability to enhance the flavor profile of jams, while red wine or whiskey tends to yield less striking results. Among these, Moscato—a slightly sparkling wine—adds a particularly elegant nuance, turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.

For this blueberry jam, I leaned on the fruit’s natural sweetness, measured at approximately 15 Brix on the sugar scale. This level of sweetness ensures you can create jam without needing to add extra sugar. Plus, the availability of frozen blueberries throughout the year simplifies the process, making this a treat you can easily make no matter the season.

The method is uncomplicated: simmer blueberries with wine for about 40 minutes, allowing the alcohol to evaporate. The infusion of wine’s refined aroma and its subtle natural sweetness creates a rich, layered flavor that puts store-bought jams to shame. I typically use about 10% wine of the blueberries’ weight, complementing it with a splash of organic lemon juice for added freshness. The result? A jam that skips unnecessary gelatin and excessive sugar, focusing instead on health, subtle sweetness, and aroma—a recipe ideal for families and food lovers alike.

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Handpicking the Best Moscato for Jam

For this recipe, I chose an Italian Moscato. While alternatives like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or Italy's Spumante crossed my mind, I ultimately prioritized maximum sweetness for this jam. My senior acquaintance planned to sell the jam at a local bazaar in Jeongseon, where customers might expect a sweeter flavor profile over a health-conscious one due to the rural market’s preferences.

When it comes to Moscato wines, my preferences lean toward the luxurious offerings of La Spinetta, particularly their Bricco Quaglia and Biancospino labels. These wines, famous for featuring Albrecht Dürer’s iconic rhino etchings on their bottles, have redefined the perception of Moscato. Historically dismissed as cheap or simplistic, Moscato was elevated to sophistication by La Spinetta, which pioneered single-vineyard production with extraordinary depth and a delicate sparkle. Often dubbed the "Hermès of the Moscato world," these wines offer an unrivaled quality that aligns perfectly with creating a premium artisanal jam.

Moscato also pairs beautifully with desserts such as pies and cakes, further cementing La Spinetta’s reputation as a top-tier winery. Reflecting on my first encounter with this wine in Italy, I could see how its transformation mirrored Korean makgeolli’s journey from humble beginnings to a refined beverage with global appeal.

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Overcoming Challenges in a Countryside Kitchen

The journey to create this jam, however, wasn’t without its hurdles. My senior acquaintance brought five kilograms of organic blueberries to the table, which we began simmering with Moscato in small batches. Unfortunately, the berries turned out to have a tart taste, likely harvested before full ripeness, making them less naturally sweet than expected.

While I insisted that the Moscato would impart sufficient sweetness, my senior maintained that local buyers favored intensely sweet jams. We reached a compromise by mixing agave syrup with the wine in equal parts, aligning the product more closely with traditional market preferences while still maintaining some of the wine’s elegance. Though the resulting jam skewed on the sweeter side, it was a hit with my senior’s discerning rural clientele. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this sweetness masked the delicate layers of Moscato I had hoped to highlight. My senior lightly teased me, saying my palate sorely lacked "commercial sensibility."

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The Cost of Quality: A Labor of Love

That night, I shared the experience of crafting the jam on Facebook, which piqued the interest of a few friends back in Seoul. As I returned to the city with jars of blueberry jam in tow, I began to calculate the cost of production: premium Moscato, organically grown blueberries, and the hours of labor required to make the jam. The numbers made one thing clear: selling a jar for even 20,000 KRW couldn’t cover the costs, let alone turn a profit.

Despite this realization, the endeavor still left me deeply fulfilled. Knowing that I had helped create a truly refined product, even if for a niche audience, made the effort worthwhile. Between my responsibilities with radio broadcasts, manuscript writing, and jam-making, the process was exhausting yet wholly rewarding. In the end, my homemade blueberry jam, rich with the sophistication of Moscato, isn’t just a spread—it’s a testament to the joy of creating something extraordinary from the simplest ingredients.

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About the Author

Eun-Jung Kwon, a seasoned journalist with more than two decades of experience, specializes in food and wine. At 50, he trained at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners (ICIF) in Piemonte, Italy, and has since contributed to notable publications such as Kyunghyang Shinmun and Yonhap News. He is also the author of books like "Wine and Tuna Mayo" and "Tasting Italy Through Pasta," combining his culinary and journalistic expertise into compelling storytelling.

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