Quinta do Piloto Moscatel de Setubal

Deep amber in colour, this wine is rich and smooth with a full flavour that has a strong raisin fruit character paired with caramel, citrus orange peel and sweet marmalade flavours. Sweet, yet refreshing finish. Made from 100% Moscatel de Setúbal this wine was aged in small oak for around 6 months before bottling. This wine is excellent as an aperitif or great with strong flavoured cheeses.

Setúbal is a DOC of the Setúbal Peninsula in southern Portugal. It is best known for its fortified wines, although these lie in the significant shadow of their more famous northern counterparts of Porto. Where red port is made from a medley of Tourigas, Castelaos and Tintas, Setúbal is made almost exclusively from Moscatel grapes.

The key difference between Moscatel de Setúbal and other fortified wines is the winemaking process after vinification. As with almost all sweet, fortified wines, pure grape spirit is employed to stop fermentation (a process known in France as mutage), and the wine is then aged for a period in wooden barrels. Setúbal winemakers add the leftover, highly aromatic Moscatel grape skins to the mix and allow them to macerate with the wine for as long as six months. This gives Moscatel de Setúbal its intensely pungent, floral aroma.