📍 Setúbal

Setúbal is a wine zone south of the mouth of the Tagus, on the Setúbal peninsula, near the port town of Setúbal and the Arrábida hills. It is part of the Setúbal Peninsula. Setúbal is the home of Moscatel de Setúbal, a famous sweet fortified wine.

Moscatel de Setúbal is made from the Muscat of Alexandria grape and from Moscatel Roxo (red Muscat). Grape spirit is added to the fermenting juice to stop fermentation, and the wine then spends some time on the skins. The result is an amber, sweet wine with aromas of orange, honey and nuts. It goes well with desserts.

Besides Moscatel, the area makes unfortified red and white wines. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and mild winters, and soils are sandy and limestone. Castelão, a widespread red grape of the peninsula, is grown too.

Moscatel from Setúbal has been valued for many centuries. Moscatel de Setúbal comes in different ages, and the best examples cost more. Serve it chilled with desserts, cheese and nuts, or at the end of dinner. The best Setúbal Moscatels are aged for years, and old bottles are prized by collectors.