Moscatel
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2038
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pastel de nata, Queijo de Azeitão, dark chocolate tart
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the sun-drenched Peninsula de Setúbal, Bacalhôa's Moscatel de Setúbal is a legendary fortified sweet wine steeped in history. The region's unique microclimate, shielded by the Serra da Arrábida and cooled by Atlantic breezes, provides the perfect conditions for the Moscatel de Setúbal grape to develop its signature intense aromatics. The winemaking process is deeply traditional: after partial fermentation, the wine is fortified with grape brandy, and the grape skins are left to macerate with the wine for several months. This extended skin contact, unique to the region, extracts rich essential oils, creating an incredibly complex elixir of candied orange peel, honey, and floral notes. Historically favored by European royalty, this wine represents a centuries-old liquid heritage.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1922 under the name João Pires & Filhos, Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal has grown into one of Portugal's most significant and pioneering wine enterprises. Modernized in the 1970s and subsequently acquired by arts patron Comendador José Berardo in 1998, the group encompasses historic estates such as Quinta da Bacalhôa, Quinta do Carmo, and Caves Aliança. Spanning roughly 1,200 hectares across the Setúbal Peninsula, Alentejo, Bairrada, Dão, Douro, and Vinho Verde, the group cultivates indigenous and international varieties on diverse terroirs ranging from Setúbal's clay-limestone slopes and sandy maritime soils to Alentejo's schist-strewn plains. Viticulture is practiced sustainably under certifications like the Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme (WASP). Led enologically by Francisco Antunes, Bacalhôa balances classical heritage and cellar innovation, renowned for historic benchmark cuvées including the barrel-fermented Catarina, age-worthy Quinta da Bacalhôa Cabernet Sauvignon blends, Quinta do Carmo reds and whites, traditional-method Aliança sparkling wines, and rare, concentrated Moscatel de Setúbal.
🍇 Grapes
Moscatel de Setúbal
🍷 ABV
17%