Moscatel wines
The long association between Portugal and wine requires one to go down the pages of history to trace its beginning. In the ancient times, around 138 BC, Portugal, was confiscated into the Roman Empire and was at that time known as Lusitania. It is interesting to note here that the name Lusitania has its roots in the name of the son of the roman god Bacchus who was called Luso. Bacchus was the roman god of wine and merriment whose Greek counterpart is the formidable Dionysus. Therefore, it is quite clear now that wine cultivation and Portuguese civilization have a long association which has continued since antiquity to the present day when wine cultivation is a predominant practice in the Portuguese landscapes and Portugal accounts for a maximum market share in terms of wine exports.
The wine types extracted from the Vitis Vinifera species of grapes in Portugal are referred to as Moscatel or Muscatel wines. The most prominent versions of Moscatel wines produced in this country are the ones obtained from the regions of Setubal known as Moscatel de Setubal and the Moscatel de Favaios obtained from the Douro region. The Madeira Island also produces the Moscatel Madeira wine though it has become rare in recent times. The Moscatel wine obtained from the Setubal peninsular region is constituted by the liqueurous casta or grape variety. It was in the 1790s that the Moscatel de Setubal were mentioned for the first time and since the 1870s the Moscatels of the Setubal region have been processed with extra concern and care. The most popular variety of this wine is the Moscatel Roxo which is preserved for about twenty years at a stretch before being marketed finally.
Another variety of the Moscatels called the Moscatel de Favaios is produced in the Douro region and is made from the white castas called ‘galegos’.
