Moscatel Superior 10 Anos Horácio Simões

17 / 20

Producer: Casa Horácio Simões

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

Superior is a suffix guaranteeing the quality for this Moscatel from Setúbal (like Reserva on table wines). This 10 year old certainly deserves it, as it is a delightful and powerful Moscatel.

Sweet aromas, a bit of candles, english cake, exotic woods and dry figs compose an intense, powerful but elegant bouquet.

Shows its sweetness in the palate, but it's never excessive. There's a good acidity here, giving it some backbone and supporting the figs and the raisins that appear here. There appear to be some tannins lurking around as well - at least it feels like it i the gums.

Really long finish, very persistent with notes of crystalized orange skins. Still very young, this will age and last for years.

Bacalhôa Moscatel Roxo 2000

17.0 / 20

Producer: Bacalhôa

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

From one of the major wine producers in Setúbal (and Portugal, I guess), this Moscatel Roxo is a great example of these fortified wines. Light amber, the nose is intense and rich but never being excessive. I was reminded of an aged Madeira on first impact, with the same crystalized lemon rind, exotic woods, dried fruits and smoky feel. Later on, there are also a good deal of more flowery notes (orange blossom) popping up.

In the palate, this shows a masterful balance between the sweetness brought by the more honeyed notes and the acidity that is brought by the crystalized lemon and orange rind. Structured and full-bodied as expected, but able to keep the taste lively and fresh, finishing in a lengthy fashion.

Tasted on 2012-08-25

Moscatel Reserva Venâncio Costa Lima 2007

15.5 / 20

Producer: Venâncio da Costa Lima

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

Lightly colored, a clear amber, this Moscatel from Setúbal has a nice, simple bouquet with dried figs and raisins making up for most of it, although there's a slight medicinal note on the background.

As expected, sweet on the palate, with a lot of honeyed notes, this is not a very heavy, structured Moscatel. Average body and a nice, inviting presence makes it an approachable, easy drinking sweet wine. Has a very nice, long ending.

Tasted on 2012-07-11

Moscatel Roxo Sagres 2009

16.0 / 20

Producer: SIVIPA

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Sagres, a well known portuguese Navy school ship, SIVIPA has decided to release a special bottling of their 2009 Moscatel Roxo.

Nice orange color, with slight red overtones, the nose is pretty intense, showing a lot of sweetness, with a lot of figs and plums thrown in there, along with a considerable ammount of honey. A bit later on, a touch of orange skin and flower joins the bouquet, its inherent acidity enhancing the nose.

Quite full bodied in the palate, showing a lot of honey like sweetness, but with a nice touch of what seemed like mint. Interesting finale, not very long but showing a surprising acidity that is not much to the front throughout the rest of the taste, and leaving a honey aftertaste that lingers for a while. There's some structure hidden behind the fullness granted by the sweeter side of this as the ending also shows a pack of pretty hard and lively tannins that stick to your gums.

Tasted on 2012-06-16

Lobo Roxo 2008

16.0 / 20

Producer: Casa Agrícola Assis Lobo

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

This moscatel roxo from Setúbal comes in an unique and curious packaging, in the same vein as the other bottlings from this producer.

Orange colored, the nose is pretty intense, showing some dried flowers, cedar oil, dried figs and raisins, a touch of honey and a good amount of dried and crystalized oranges.

Feels very structured in the palate, unctuous and sweet but balanced with some more acid and fresh notes. Intense and long finish with honey notes but where the alcohol tends so play up a bit, detracting from the balance and equilibrium this could achieve.

Yet, serve it a little chilled so the slightly high alcohol is not as noticeable and this will be a really nice desert wine or a great company for an after dinner cigar.

Tasted on 2012-05-19

Moscatel Roxo Horácio Simões 2007

16.5 / 20

Producer: Casa Agrícola Horácio Simões

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

This year - 2012 - the city of Palmela is the European City of Wine which is great news for anyone living nearby, since there are a lot of events dedicated to wine where one can taste - and buy - wines from the region. One of the most renowned is the Moscatel Roxo, a rare subtype of Moscatel.

This one, from Horácio Simões, was a good surprise. Starting with the dark amber, almost brown color with some noticeable red tinges and following up with a quite complex, exquisite bouquet, where raisins and dried figs mingle with almonds and hazelnuts with some spices - cloves, maybe - in the background.

Very good presence in the palate, with a delightful full body, filled with honey and dried figs and, unexpectedly for me at least, some present, while tamed and balanced, tannins that give it an edge. I though this was very well balanced, showing on one side some young, edgy and fresh notes and on the other some sweeter, fuller, evolved notes.

Good, intense finish, long and persistent bringing to mind some cocoa amidst the dried figs.

By all means, a dessert wine. Or pair it with a milder cigar.

Tasted on 2012-04-23

Moscatel de Setúbal Venâncio da Costa Lima 2010

15.0 / 20

Producer: Venâncio da Costa Lima

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

A young Moscatel from Setúbal, this has a nice orange color and a nose where orange skin mingles with sweeter, honey like notes.

Unctuous in the palate, showing a full body, marked by sweet, honeyed notes. It's a nicely made Moscatel, but I think it would benefit from a greater acidity, maybe some more citrus notes in the palate. Finishes long and sweet, in the same full, heavy approach.

Will work well as a digestive or side by side with egg-based desserts.

Tasted on 2012-04-12

Quinta de Camarate Doce 2010

15.5 / 20

Producer: José Maria da Fonseca

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

An uncommon wine, being a sweet white wine from Setúbal, made with grapes usually associated with the Minho and Vinho Verde - Alvarinho and Loureiro - this has a pleasant, interesting nose, where some sweet white fruits mingle with some orange flowers, limes and a soft rubbery hint, vaguely reminiscent of a Riesling.

Sweet in the mouth, again with lots of sweet white fruits and some orange flowers, this is not a heavy or fat wine, being very light and supported by a fresh acidity that keeps it interesting. The average ending gives it some flair, finishing with a slightly bitter, lemon skin feel.

On its own, definitely, or paired with some apetizers - foie gras is probably too much for it. Maybe a good combination with sushi or lightly spicy asian food.

Tasted on 2012-03-28

Czar 2004

15.5 / 20

Producer: José Duarte Garcia

Region: Açores

Country: Portugal

A fortified wine from the Pico island in the Azores, this half dry wine is a blend of Arinto, Verdelho and Terrantez.

Amber, almost orange in the glass, the nose is rich and inviting, with notes of dried coconut, citrus, crystallized fruits. Later, some hazelnuts also appear along with cocoa.

Quite dry in the mouth, with a very fresh acidity, this is clearly a different, distinct wine. Dried fruits and exotic woods mark the taste, whereas the citrus and cocoa appear again in the palate cleansing medium-long finish.

Interesting and different, with a pleasant, refreshing finish, I think that it would benefit from some more complexity and depth in the mouth, as the nose promises a bit more.

Tasted on 2011-12-01

Outono de Santar 2005

13.5 / 20

Producer: Dão Sul

Region: Dão

Country: Portugal

An unusual Late Harvest, since it comes from the Dão and is made exclusively from Encruzado grapes, this has a golden color.

Nose was a bit unclear at first, with some glyceric notes and a stranger, almost plastic aroma. It later slightly opens up to some dried fruits and orange peel.

A bit short on the palate, with a soft structure, I felt it could have some more acidity to balance out the sweeter side. Some dried fruits appear during the taste and the ending briefly shows some orange peel.

Maybe it was this particular bottle, but this wine failed to impress me. Maybe it has passed its drinking window - although I bought this at the producer earlier this year?

Tasted on 2011-10-23

Lajido 2002

16.0 / 20

Producer: Cooperativa Vitivinícola da Ilha do Pico

Region: Açores

Country: Portugal

A fortified wine from the Pico island, in the Azores, made with Verdelho grapes, this is a good experience for anyone interested in novel, out of the ordinary wines. These fortified wines have a long history in the island and were highly regarded in the 18th and 19th century all over Europe. Phylloxera in the 1870s destroyed most of the plants and production was very low until the 1970s, when a government led initiative led to an increase in planted vines and a renewed interest in these wines.

Light amber, almost orange in the glass, the nose has dried fruits like hazelnuts, a faint impression of honey and something like malt or cereals.

Very dry in the mouth, structured and fresh showing again notes of honey and malt. Some notes of dried figs also appear in a taste where the acidity is well balanced. Finish is long and dry.

I think there are not many fortified wines like this around - maybe some Sercials or Verdelhos from Madeira come close to this (the dryness is certainly up there). Remarkable and worth the taste.

Tasted on 2011-10-02

Tokaj Hetszolo Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2001

17.5 / 20

Producer: Hetszolo

Region: Tokaj-Hegyalja

Country: Hungary

This is a Tokaji wine from Hungary. The Aszu stands for noble rot (Botrytis Cinerea) - and it is the most noble kind of Tokaj -and the 5 puttonyos are a measure of the residual sugar in the wine - the scale goes from 3 (least sweet) to 6 (extra rare and the sweetest). As sweet wines go, Tokaji is up there on the top along with the Sauternes or Port - although they share more with Sauternes since they are also Late Harvest wines.

Beautiful old golden colour, the bouquet is impressively complex and vibrant, showing some dried apricots, hazelnuts, maybe a hint of honey. A very composed, clean bouquet that really grabs your attention.

To the taste, it is a structured wine, showing notes of honey and dried apricots all along, showing a good, balanced acidity that keeps the sweetness from becoming too much in the palate. Finishes long, leaving a persistent honey-like aftertaste that stays for a long time.

Paired with foie-gras stuffed dates and it was really good - the classical pairing of foie-gras and late harvest still makes sense. Would also be a good wine to enjoy by itself, after meals.

Tasted on 2011-05-23

Colecção Privada DSF Moscatel Roxo 2001

16.5 / 20

Producer: José Maria da Fonseca

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

Moscatel Roxo is a rare type of Moscatel de Setúbal, producing darker, more delicately flavored wines than the predominant Moscatel grape. Not as well known as Port or Madeiras, these wines are also perfect companions for a dessert (specially older Moscatéis) or a good aperitif, if server a bit colder.

Showing a beautiful, topaz/amber color, this Moscatel Roxo greets us with a full, sweet but not over the edge bouquet, dried figs and raisins, cinnamon and a touch of flowers.

Unctuous and sweet to the taste, it nevertheless shows a good acidity, that balances the body. It is still a relatively young Moscatel (10 years) and it shows both in the acidity and in the overall strength of the taste. Great, long persistence filled with dried figs and raisins notes.

Great quality and great value for money - the fact that Moscatel is not as recognized as Port or Madeira helps keep the prices down.

Desserts. The producer suggests egg based desserts and it would definitely be a good match.

Tasted on 2011-02-07

Alambre 20 Anos 1990

17.0 / 20

Producer: José Maria da Fonseca

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

Although not as famous as Port, the sweet Moscatel wines from Setubal are also definitely worth your time and money.

A clear example is this 20 year old Moscatel from one of the largest producers in the region (José Maria da Fonseca). Amber in color with some brown tinges, the bouquet reminds me of a Madeira, with similar caramel and smoke notes. Later on, dried fruits like nuts and figs also appear in the bouquet.

In the mouth, the wine is great, the sweeter notes balanced by a clear acidity, resulting in a full-bodied wine that never becomes too heavy on the palate. The ending is filled with honeyed notes with an amazingly long persistence.

In case you are interested in discovering these wines, this one is a great start, providing real value for its price tag (around 20€).

Either with sweet desserts (egg based) or with a cigar.

Tasted on 2010-11-24

Verdelho 1913

15.0 / 20

Producer: Unknown

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Bought at an auction, this was quite a risk since the wine level in the bottle was quite low. Not unexpected in a 97-year old wine and since it was a Madeira, I decided to take the risk.

As soon as I decanted it, I knew this wasn't a total loss. A deep golden brownish color, the aromas were still really nice, with the expected smoky aromas, going along with sweet, honey-like scents and some really clear tertiary aromas reminding me of wax.

Unfortunately, in the mouth the wine did not live up to its aroma, at least in my humble opinion. A thin bodied wine, having already lost almost all its complexity and structure, it nevertheless still showed some acidity but lacked something. Maybe I was expecting a more complex taste, showing more of those tertiary aromas.

Still, it is always amazing to taste a wine harvested almost a century ago - just think, before both world wars, communism or anything we now can't live without - and to be able to enjoy it and to identify it clearly as a Madeira wine.

Tasted on 2010-07-08

Reguengos Vinho Licoroso 2007

15.5/20

Producer: CARMIM
Region: Alentejo
Country: Portugal





This is a sweet wine from the Alentejo, a reminder that not all sweet wines from Portugal hail from Porto or Setúbal. Dark red in the glass, the nose shows a lot of red fruit along with some exotic wood feel and a sweeter, jammier side.

Feels very balanced in the palate, the sweetness well matched with a fresh acidity. Showing a good deal of sweet red fruit, this is an easy to drink, enjoyable wine that just lacks a bit of complexity to my taste. Finishes with lots of red fruits with a nice, lingering aftertaste.