The Setúbal we love

The Portuguese region has been winning admirers throughout the UK wine trade in recent years. Joe Wadsack and Sussex independent merchant Henry Butler explain what Setúbal means to them

Produced in association with Setúbal Peninsula Wines

Portugal is not short of vinous jewels and Setúbal is a precious, regional gem, worthy of a closer look. Producing on average 10% of all the red wine in Portugal, Setúbal is also the source of tasty dry whites and world-beating sweet wines.

Half an hour on the train from Lisbon, the Setúbal Peninsula is home to 8,000 hectares of vineyards and two DOs: Palmela and Moscatel de Setúbal. This simple denomination structure is refreshing, but perhaps belies the varied landscape and heterogeneous soil types, which range from the limestone and clay/ calcareous of the Serra da Arrábida slopes to the finer, sandy plains below.

Palmela is primarily a DO for dry white and red wines, though you’ll also find small production of sparkling, rosé, and even liqueur wines too. The Setúbal denomination is exclusively for Moscatel de Setúbal and Moscatel Roxo de Setúbal, both of which are fortified wines. The wider – and more flexible – GI is Setúbal Peninsula.

Across the region, producers are permitted “to grow a huge diversity of different cultivars, due to a university research station within the region which contributes to the diverse and often complex blends in their wines,” says

Joe Wadsack (below), who acts as an ambassador for the region in the UK. However, DO Palmela reds must contain at least 67% of Castelão, known in the old days as Periquita, and a star in waiting.

The loupe should be firmly focused on Castelão as, while it is planted widely throughout southern Portugal, it shines brightest in Setúbal. Here, in the warm sandy soils, the grape gives wines that are aromatic, structured with both great natural acidity and ageing potential.

Wadsack concurs. “It is a variety indigenous to the area, capable of producing beautiful entry-level wines, juicy, raspberryish quaffers, and greatness: oakfinished marvels from 70-year-old vines,” he says. “A great many producers make 100% Castelão … they should promote it as their own and put all their might behind it.”

Henry Butler of The Butlers Wine

Cellar in Brighton (right) is also encouraged by what he’s seen from the region. “I am a big fan of the wines from Setúbal,” he says. “It does feel that there is a bit of a positive movement going on in the region, with younger producers making modern wines.

“The wines have character, and a freshness and salinity, which I enjoy. I really like Castelão as a variety.”

Speaking about the region’s wines more broadly, Butler continues: “We like both reds and whites as they have an elegance about them; they tend not to be too high in alcohol. They are fresh and you can often lightly chill the reds. The wines we have in stock start at around £15, and all need to be hand-sold, which is OK as the staff are enthusiastic.”

Arinto and Fernão Pires are the region’s two most significant white grape varieties, with blends a common feature of the wines. Widely available, their fruity appeal is matched with competitive pricing.

Wadsack says: “The region’s secret weapon is its clear identity. Even at UK retail prices comfortably around £10, or perhaps even less, it is possible to find real wine. These are wines of authenticity. At this price, few regions in the world offer the restaurant diner or budget wine enthusiast as much complexity and interest.”

If the red Castelão wines are nudging their way steadily into the spotlight, the sweet wines of Setúbal have been winning wine enthusiasts’ hearts for hundreds of years.

“Fortified wine lovers fall in love at first sight, when given the chance to try even more moderate examples of Moscatel de Setúbal,” says Wadsack. “With port and, more importantly, Madeira prices going into space, I am wholly confident that these incredible fortified wines are about to have their day on the red carpet.”

Bringing the wines from this beautiful

Portuguese peninsula to a wider British audience shouldn’t be too tricky. The range of styles and competitive prices make them a dream for most indies. Butler adds: “I think the proximity to Lisbon can only be beneficial. We have sent two or three customers on vineyard visits if they have been on holiday in Lisbon. This helps put Setúbal wines on people’s radar.”

Wadsack sums up: “I have rarely met kinder and more complimentary total strangers than in Setúbal and in Portugal at large. They will promote and talk warmly about anyone other than themselves. They would rather let their actions, wines and food do the talking for them. The wines, even the serious ones, delight at a price that almost everyone can afford.”

Life is sweet in Setúbal

For wines to be labelled Moscatel de Setúbal, they must contain at least 85% of Moscatel de Setúbal, known historically as Muscat of Alexandria. Fortified with grape brandy, the wine is left on skins before being aged for a minimum of 18 months in cask. Moscatel Roxo is made from a purpleskinned grape, which has exactly the same name, resulting in a beautiful amber-coloured wine. Both wines can have up to 15% of other varieties such as Arinto or Fernão Pires, but many producers follow the 100% model.

There are four additional classifications, which refer to length of ageing, outstanding quality, a particular vintage or a blended wine from several vintages: Superior; Reserva; Moscatel de Setúbal Datado and Moscatel de Setúbal Não Datado.