| citrus notes | marmalade | dried fruit | caramel | coffee | ripe | nice balance between sweetness and acidity |
The Moscatel de Setúbal Galega grapes for this Moscatel de Setúbal from Quinta do Piloto grow in vineyards that are more than 30 years old (in 2023). The vineyards are located around the town of Palmela, about 30 kilometers south of Lisbon on poor sandy soil in a Mediterranean climate. The peninsula on which the vineyards are located is surrounded by the Tagus River to the north, the Sado River to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The grapes are usually harvested in September.
Moscatel de Setúbal is made in the same way as Port. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. During fermentation, when the Moscatel de Setúbal has reached around 7% alcohol, Aguardente with a percentage of around 75% is added to the Moscatel. This stops the process of converting sugar into alcohol and a high percentage of sugar remains, which keeps the Moscatel De Setúbal sweet. The addition of Aguardente also increases the alcohol percentage to around 17%. The difference with Port is that multiple grape varieties are used to make Port and this Moscatel de Setúbal is made from only the Moscatel de Setúbal Galega grape variety.
The Moscatel de Setúbal is then macerated for 6 months in the grape skins and then matured for at least 60 months in 650-litre barrels previously used to mature Cognac.
Filipe indicates that his muscatels can be stored for years, but that they do not develop further in the bottle. After opening, the Moscatel de Setúbal can be stored for about a month, depending on the amount left in the bottle.
Serving suggestion: Excellent as an aperitif and very tasty with fruit and nut tart, custard-based desserts such as the well-known Portuguese pastel de nata and cême brulée, light chocolate desserts with caramel and cheese platter with soft cheeses (sheep and cow).
