TN: 1975 Moscatel Favious

[simon Lisle]

A cheap moscatel $16 well balanced sweet against tannins a bit cloudy straw colored but a bargain if you can find it long finnish

[Mario Ferreira]

A cheap moscatel $16 well balanced sweet against tannins a bit cloudy straw colored but a bargain if you can find it long finnish

Simon, just a curiosity, please note that if the correct name of the wine is Moscatel Favaios 1975, this wine was produced in the Douro Valley, mainland Portugal (and not in the Madeira Island).

Moscatel in Portugal could be the name of a Grape and also a type of Fortified Wine from that particular grape.
- Confusing? :)
Port, Madeira, and Moscatel, are 3 types of Fortified Wines produced in Portugal. Moscatel Fortified Wine is less known than Port & Madeira in International markets.

Favaios, a village located in the Douro Valley, is very well known all over Portugal for its Moscatel Wine.
You may click here to see some pictures of Favaios - the village. [ http://favaios.cidadevirtual.pt/imagens.htm ]

» Moscatel - The Grape, is also grown in the Madeira Island. So some Madeira wines are also made out of Moscatel grape.
» Moscatel - The Wine, is mainly produced in the Douro Valley (in the north of Portugal) and also in the Setubal Peninsula (central Portugal - right south of Lisbon).

BTW, regarding Moscatel - The Wine, the Favaios is a very very popular brand in Portugal but I'm also happy to suggest the Moscatel Wines of Quinta do Portal. You may give it a quick reading by clicking here: [ http://www.quintadoportal.com/main.php?setid=14&id=23 ]
/MF

[simon Lisle]

Mario it was fortified, It was sent to me from a friend who lives in Oporto.Thanks for the information

[pgwerner]

Are Moscatel wines produced on Madeira at all anymore? If so, are they only used in Vintage Madeiras or are they ever produced in non-vintage (5, 10, or 15 year-old) bottlings?

My experience with Muscat/Moscatel has been mixed. California produces some rather odd-flavored to downright nasty sweet Muscats. (Quady Elysium Black Muscat has the distinction of being the only wine I found so completely wretched that I poured it down the drain!) I've had a Chambers Rutherglen Muscat before, which was good, but rather simple - I imagine the older (classic, grand, or rare) Rutherglen Muscats are much better. Ditto for the young vintage-dated JM Fonseca Moscatel de Setubal I tried.

On the other hand, Muscats with a little age on them have been wonderful. I've had 20 year-old JM Fonseca "Alambre" Moscatel de Setubal (at that time sold in 750-ml bottles), and that was quite nice - complex like a 10 or 15 year-old Malmsey, but with distinct "muscat" flavors. And then there was the 1-oz pour of 1900 D'Olivera Moscatel Madeira I had at Pleinfield's Mayur in Portland - the single best wine (actually, best anything) I've ever had the pleasure of tasting! Interestingly, it wasn't particularly "muscaty" - I could have just as easily been drinking a very old Malmsey.

Peter

[Roy Hersh]

Truth be told, it was not uncommon in the past for the grapes mentioned on the label to be either just part of a blend or another grape entirely. This is not something that is widely published, but with some significant research you'll find the same thing. Moscatel is nearly extinct on the island and plantings are about as obscure as are Terrantez vines. Both are too costly at this point, to replant. The reasons for that are many and the MWI (Madeira Wine Institute) is not likely to do much to change this.

The Moscatel de Setubal that is produced by a few fine companies is delicious although (obviously) very different from the same grape found in Madeira.