Moscatel de Setúbal is a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

muscatel Muscatel ( ) is a type of wine made from muscat grapes. The term is now normally used in the United States to refer to a fortified wine made from these grapes rather than just any wine made from these grapes. This fortified muscatel became pop ...

produced around the

Setúbal Municipality Setúbal (, , ; cel-x-proto, Caetobrix) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies within the Lisbon metropolitan area. In the ti ...

on the

Península de Setúbal The Península de Setúbal (; English: ''Setúbal Peninsula'') is a former NUTS III subdivision of Portuguese region of Lisbon (NUTS II). It was abolished at the January 2015 NUTS 3 revision.fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Muscat Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is s ...

wines known as Moscatel de Setúbal. The style was believed to have been invented by José Maria da Fonseca, the founder of

José Maria da Fonseca José Maria da Fonseca, also known as JM da Fonseca, is the oldest table wine company in Portugal, though some Port wine houses pre-date it. The family-owned company was founded in 1834 and is based in the village of Azeitão on the Setúbal ...

, the oldest industrial-scale table wine producer in Portugal dating back to 1834. J.M. Fonseca company still holds a quasi-monopoly control over the production of Moscatel de Setúbal today.T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 333 Dorling Kindersley 2005

Wine styles

Similar to Port, Moscatel de Setúbal wines are wood aged until they are bottled. They can be made from grapes of a single

vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

or in a "non-vintage" style as a blend of several vintages. The wines tend to be at their freshest and more fruit styles up to around 5–6 years of age where they have pronounced

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

notes. As they age, the wines get darker with more

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the d ...

caramel Caramel ( or ) is an orange-brown confectionery product made by heating a range of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard. The process of caramelizatio ...

, and

nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...

ty aromas and flavors.

Grapes

The DOC regulations for Moscatel de Setúbal specify that the wines are to be composed primarily of

Muscat of Alexandria Muscat of Alexandria is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of ''Vitis vinifera''. It is considered an "ancient vine", and wine experts believe it is one of the oldest genetically unmodified vines still in existence.J. Robin ...

or Moscatel Roxo. The blend can include up to 30% of

Arinto Arinto or Arinto de Bucelas is a white Portuguese wine grape planted primarily in the Bucelas, Tejo and Vinho Verde regions. It can produce high acid wines with lemon notes. Synonyms Arinto is also known by the synonyms Arintho, Arintho du Dao, ...

, Boais, Diagalves, Fernao Pires,

Malvasia Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. I ...

, Olho de Lebre,

Rabo de Ovelha Rabo de Ovelha (Portuguese for "Sheep's tail") is white Portuguese wine grape variety that is grown all over Portugal. It should not be confused with the red Rabo de Anho grape variety that is found in the Vinho Verde region. Rabo de Ovelha is an a ...

Roupeiro Roupeiro is a white Portuguese wine grape planted primarily in the Alentejo and Douro regions. In Alentejo, the grape is known as Alva. In the Douro, it is known as Codega. J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition pg 121 Abbevil ...

, Talia,

Tamarez Tamarez is a grape variety that is the basis for a white Portuguese wine Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans and other ancient Mediterranean peoples who traded with local coastal populations, mainly in the South. In pre-Roman Gal ...

and Vital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Setubal DOC Wine regions of Portugal Portuguese products with protected designation of origin

Wine styles

Grapes

See also

References