13 minute read
buying trip to portugal
Atlantic waves
The Setúbal Península of Portugal is gradually making a name for itself in the UK independent trade as merchants discover the value that the region offers at a range of price points.
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Eight indies joined our recent buying trip and were impressed by wines from terroir that its producers regard as Atlantic, rather than southern European. Graham Holter reports
Just a short drive from the elegant metropolis of Lisbon, the Setúbal Península is one of Portugal’s less feted winelands. It’s a landscape of gentle limestone hills and sandy plains, where the heat is moderated by Atlantic breezes.
Setúbal wines have traditionally been made on an industrial scale, and in their homeland they are mostly associated with supermarket labels. That’s a problem for producers – both large and small – who are increasingly crafting premium wines but worry that the region lacks the prestige to command prices to match.
But it needn’t be an issue in the UK, where Setúbal is effectively working from a blank sheet of paper and has the potential to establish itself from a higher starting point than it enjoys in its domestic market. That’s certainly the way the eight independent merchants on our July buying trip to the region saw it, anyway.
Castelão is king of the reds
To generalise, red wine production in Setúbal is dominated by Castelão, a variety with red-fruit flavours and modest acidity and whose rustic character can make it an awkward choice for single-varietal wines. This generalisation was tested to its limits during our three-day visit, being validated and debunked in equal measure. Castelão was to prove more enigmatic, and perhaps more enticing, than most of us had been expecting.
Filipe Cardoso is the fourth-generation winemaker at Quinta do Piloto in Palmela, which began bottling wines under its own name as recently as 2013. He makes a single-varietal Castelão from old vines, softened by a spell in lightly toasted oak, and – especially served slightly cool – it’s nothing like the more extracted styles that you’d find in mass-market iterations. “Castelão has been made for centuries in this region and we understand it very well,” he says.
“I think Castelão has to go the same route as Baga in Bairrada. Castelão is our difference. It’s a wine that’s very difficult to copy in other places.”
He’s happy to indulge the variety in his premium wines. “It’s more like Pinot Noir,” he says. “It’s very elegant. I think now it’s even becoming trendy.”
Fernão Pó is another family-owned Palmela winery that began releasing wines under its own name relatively recently. Its winemaker is João Palhoça. “I always blend my Castelão,” he declares. “It’s not a perfect variety. Sometimes it lacks body and structure and colour. To get good [single varietal] Castelão you need 80-year-old vineyards, and I don’t have those.”
So he marries his fruit with Touriga Nacional and, of all things, Tannat. These are, he says, the “salt and pepper” that bring alive his spicy ASF 2019 wine.
Then there’s Herdade Espirra in the Pegões sub-region, where the old-vine Castelão grapes are trodden by foot and fermented naturally. The wines emerge from French oak full-flavoured but with a roundness and softness that’s a world away from rougher-edged supermarket examples.
There’s a rumour going around that someone is making Castelão with carbonic maceration, and we track down the man responsible. It’s Filipe Rodrigues of FR Wines (pictured), a pharmacist in his day job, who has breathed new life into the Comporta vineyard planted by his greatuncle in the 1970s.
His Macaca Muda wine is a Castelãodominated field blend, which means there’s Baga, Tannat and even a little Fernão Pires in the mix. “I don’t like Castelão that’s over-extracted,” he says. “So I do a semi-carbonic maceration and age the wine for nine months in used oak.” It’s yet more proof that, while Castelão may be a signature grape for Setúbal, it’s a variety that relies on human ingenuity as much as it does on those warm, sandy plains.
Whites keep things simple
Setúbal is a seafood region, a point that’s proved several times over the course of our visit. Although lightly-chilled reds sometimes accompany the grilled catch of the day, it’s naturally the whites that make the most classic pairing.
“For me, we have the best white grapes in the world,” says João Palhoça of Fernão Pó. Thirty per cent of Setúbal’s production is white, with Fernão Pires taking centre stage, though Arinto, Alvarinho, Chardonnay, Loureiro and Pinot
Ocean breezes take the edge off the Setúbal heat and can even add an extra layer of flavour
Blanc are also authorised in the Palmela PDO.
The wines tend to be simple and refreshing, though not overly acidic, often with a gentle, aromatic appeal, and a distant hint of salinity on the finish. These are typically described by the producers as entry-level wines, though they are rarely bland. Verdelho is also cropping up in PGI wines, adding an extra degree of richness for those that require it.
A few producers also make whites from Moscatel; wines with rose-petal aromas but which are bone dry on the palate. These are split-personality wines that tend to induce a double-take. They’re an interesting talking point, but not the real reason why Moscatel thrives in Setúbal.
Fine-tuning the fortifieds
The PDO for Setúbal’s fortified wines dates back to 1907, though the wines are not particularly well known beyond the region itself, and the bars and restaurants of Lisbon, where they are popular as an aperitif. Just 7% of production finds its way into export markets.
Two main types of Moscatel are grown. One is Moscatel de Setúbal, which is the local version of Muscat of Alexandria; the other is Moscatel Roxo, an early-ripening purple-coloured member of the Muscat family. Roxo nearly disappeared from these parts at one point, with farmers frustrated by its popularity among the bird population. But it’s been enjoying a revival in Setúbal in recent years, with plantings recovering to more than 50 hectares.
Fermentation is stopped with the addition of grape brandy and achieves an alcoholic strength that can be as low as 17% and rarely more than 19%. Most winemakers we meet seem to believe Moscatel de Setúbal makes their most successful fortified wines, though a few make the case for the richer, more perfumed Roxo, with an aroma that Vasco Penha Garcia, head winemaker at Bacalhôa, compares to Paris by Yves Saint Laurent.
But you sense it’s Moscatel de Setúbal that he enjoys more. “It’s crazy to think we make a wine with a grape variety that doesn’t ripen properly here,” he concedes.
“But I think we make the best Muscat of Alexandria fortified wine, because we’ve planted it in a place where we have to pick it with 12.5%. Then we macerate. We don’t top up the barrels, so we allow oxidation. The aromas concentrate as the sugars are released and we can make a fresh, very sweet, fortified wine.”
Bacalhôa’s best examples are intense and powerful, with an unmistakeable note of oranges and, more specifically, marmalade.
At the José Maria da Fonseca Estate, export director Renata Abreu says there’s a more precise and calculated approach to Moscatel in the vineyard these days. “In the past we picked Moscatel in September or October,” she tells us.
“Nowadays we decide when it’s the right time to harvest: sometimes in the first week of August, depending on the maturation of the grapes. It depends on the year and the weather we have in the spring and the summer.”
There are also decisions to be made in the winery. João Palhoça of Fernão Pó likes to keep his Moscatel on its skins, with the brandy, for six months.
“That’s why, when we age it, we have a lot of things to marry and evolve and give complexity to the wine,” he says.
Aiming higher
Our trip has been a crash course in understanding a region that feels like it’s in transition; a region full of modest winemakers, with wines they no longer need to be modest about. The producers we meet seem genuinely gratified by the reaction to their more interesting wines, and intrigued by the suggestion that these could gain a foothold in the UK independent trade.
Many – perhaps most – will still need to make the sums add up by concentrating on the grocery and bulk wines around which the region has historically structured its business plan. But Setúbal doesn’t have to settle for just that. There is good stuff here. The winemakers just need to believe in it, and we just need to ship it.
A few of our favourites
Venâncio da Costa Lima Foral de Palmela 2016
This classy example of 100% Castelão was a hit with Bridget Hoult. “It has a year in French oak and another year in bottle; I found this wine to be refined with lovely notes of pepper, deep dark fruit and a lovely long finish,” she says. “Beautiful.”
Bacalhôa Moscatel de Roxo Rosé 2021
“Moscatel Roxo was a nice discovery and I enjoyed it as a rosé, particularly the 2021 from Bacalhôa, mostly for the unusual rose scent,” says Coralie Menel. Jane Taylor is also a fan. “Delightfully different, with the exuberance of the grape neatly tamed,” she says.
José Maria da Fonseca DSF Moscatel de Setúbal Superior Cognac 1999
This Moscatel is fortified with Cognac, adding extra layers of complexity to an already characterful wine. “Just an explosion of orange peel, apricots and hazelnuts, and the length of finish is amazing,” says Bridget Hoult.
Casa Ermelinda Freitas Vinha da Fonte Reserva 2016
This wine is a masterclass in the art of the blend, consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Castelão, Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet. Full bodied, with a pleasant seam of vanilla, it has spicy elements as well as luscious dark fruit.
Quinta do Piloto Vinha do Pardais Sauvignon Blanc/ Fernão Pires 2021
Both the red and the white blends with the Vinha do Pardais label were well received by the group. For Paola Tich, the white is “a stand-out for value, the Sauvignon adding lift but not dominating the blend.”
Fernão Pó ASF Unoaked 2017
This Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blend was an unexpected hit among merchants who assumed only Portuguese varieties would hit the high spots. “Spicy and with lots of red fruit and soft tannins – very pleasant to my taste,” says Amjuly del Carpio.
Adega Camolas Grande Escolha Old Vineyard 1931 2017
Another 100% Castelão wine, this time from the winery’s oldest vineyard, where the vines are untrellised. A deep and complex iteration of the variety, layered with toast and spice but leavened with a fresh acidity.
Herdade Espirra Pavão de Espirra Tinto 2017
In the words of Tom Hemmingway, this is a more concentrated style of Castelão with “a good balance of fruit and depth of flavour”. He adds: “I felt it was very good for the price, with attractive packaging.”
Herdade do Cebolal Clarete 2021
This Castelão is made with very little skin contact, offering another example of the variety’s versatility. According to Jane Taylor, the wine is “utterly delightful … all smoke and flint, followed by delicate red fruit.”
Sangue Real Colheita Tardia Moscatel Graúdo 2020
This interpretation of Moscatel was a pleasant surprise for our tasters. Amjuly del Carpio describes it as “very delicate” while Tom Hemmingway says the “lighter, fresher, naturally sweet” style would have customer appeal.
A Serenada Verdelho 2021
This white variety made a number of cameo appearances during the trip, and impressed with its fruitiness and freshness. This example is brimming with citrus and floral characters, but also a mineral saltiness enjoyed by Paola Tich.
TOM HEMMINGWAY, HIGHBURY VINTNERS, NORTH LONDON
Setúbal has a lot of potential and all the ingredients to succeed in the UK market.
There is an excellent quality-to-value ratio, which is paramount.
UK consumers will not be knowledgeable about the region, so work will be needed to address this. The area seems to be undergoing a renaissance, and it is encouraging to see smaller producers experimenting and bottling their wine. It reminded me of South Africa when a small number of enormous wineries dominated the market share.
Smaller producers need
to collaborate and pool knowledge and resources to compete better so they can stand out from the crowd.
From the Castelão examples I tried, I preferred expressions which used little or no oak to maintain the purity of fruit. Castelão, made from the hills with its higher acidity levels, benefited from being made in this style. I believe the lighter expressions of Moscatel have more potential from a sales perspective. This style is easier to explain to our customers and can sit alongside other dessert wines worldwide. The more aged Moscatels could compete with port and sherry but will require more explanation.
PHILIPPE POLLEUX, PEOPLE’S WINE, EAST LONDON
Among the fortifieds. I believe that the Moscatel de Setúbal has the most potential. I found more acidity and freshness than in Roxo.
It is a very complicated sale as it is very seasonal, and people can be put off by the alcohol level.
However, the wine can be kept for a long time and served by the glass. In a hybrid wine shop/bar, it can be popular and a fun addition to a wine list.
I think the potential of Setúbal in the UK market could be huge. In my opinion, they focus a bit too much on the red production while they have the ability to produce very popular crisp white wines. From left: Jane Taylor, Dronfield Wine World, Derbyshire; Amjuly del Carpio, Cellar Door Wines, St Albans; Coralie Menel, Grocery Wine Vault, east London; Bridget Hoult, Hoults, Huddersfield; Lloyd Beedell, Chesters, Abergavenny; Philippe Polleux, People’s Wine, east London; Paola Tich, Vindinista, west London; Tom Hemmingway, Highbury Vintners, north London
They are located on sands, next to the sea; they have great seafood and fish cuisine; so they could market their white more easily and have a very glamorous image.
Pretty much all wineries had fantastic Fernão Pires blends. Maybe after Pinot Grigio and Picpoul, we could have a trend of Palmela white ...
BRIDGET HOULT, HOULTS, HUDDERSFIELD
I believe there is a market for both blended and single-varietal Castelão. We tasted some beautiful blends, but the most important factor of any of the wines is the winemaker and the choices that they make. Young, fresh or aged, oak or no oak, old vines or not … this is a very interesting grape and has a great place in the market. It offers options for a lovely fresh wine to pair with a fish dish, or a deep big hug of a wine to curl up with on a sofa on a cold evening with a good book.
I had tasted a Moscatel de Setúbal before coming out, but I was amazed at the differences that can be achieved – and also the discovery of the Roxo grape. Wow: loved it.
I really loved the slightly drier unfortified Moscatels which work perfectly as an aperitif, but the depth of flavour of the fortified Moscatels we tried was also amazing. I have every intention of making an orange cake to enjoy with a Moscatel de Setúbal very soon.
I believe either would work for the UK market; it’s about how you sell them to the customer. Great from the fridge door, and the most important thing is they last – if you allow the bottle to last, anyway.
