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Setubal is a DOC of the Setubal Peninsula in southern Portugal. It is named after the port (as in harbor, not port wine) town of Setubal, which lies on the northern shores of the Sado estuary just south of Lisbon.
Setubal is 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, Setubal is made almost exclusively from Muscat grapes. These grow in vineyards on the lower slopes of the Serra Arrabida hills, and below on the sandy plains around Palmela.
The geographical area now covered by the Setubal title was originally demarcated for Moscatel de Setubal wines as far back as 1905. Production and cultivation lay largely unchanged here for almost a century, until the DOC revisions of 1997 and 1999. At this time Muscat was highlighted as the variety of choice, and the previous 30% tolerance of other varieties was outlawed. This change was intended to bring Setubal wines into line with EU labeling guidelines, which stipulate that any varietal wine must contain at least 85% of the variety stated on the label.
The specific strain of Muscat used here on the Setubal Peninsula is, appropriately, Moscatel de Setubal (aka Muscat of Alexandria). The rare, pink-skinned Moscatel Roxo is also occasionally used, but less so with every year that passes.
The key difference between Moscatel de Setubal 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. Setubal winemakers add the leftover, highly aromatic Muscat grape skins to the mix and allow them to macerate with the wine for as long as six months. This gives Moscatel de Setubal its intensely pungent, floral aroma.
The majority of Setubal spends four or five years in oak, during which time it takes on a burnt-orange hue and develops a spicy, raisined character akin to the smell of baking Christmas cake. The very finest Setubal wines spend four times this period in barrel, and are more brown than orange or bricked.
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