A couple of weeks ago, on my Saturday morning shop at Apolónia, this new sparkling wine was available for tasting, alongside the rosé wine from the same grape (previously featured in this column) and a very decent white from the Verdelho grape, all produced by Domingos Soares Franco, one of the great names in wine from the Setúbal peninsular region – part of the mammoth José Maria de Fonseca winemaking operation, responsible for mainstream brands like Lancers and BSE (Branco Seco Especial) and some of Portugal’s best fortified muscats.
The Moscatel Roxo grape (purple muscat) produced in small quantities is best known for producing top quality sweet fortified muscat and I was surprised to see it as a sparkler.
Priced at €14.95, this is not cheap wine as far as Portuguese bubbly is concerned but it is quite different from anything else on the market and well worth the money.
The intense fruitiness of the muscat is well evident but this is a dry rosé by any standards, although not quite a brut, creamy in texture with a nose of lychees and strawberries.
It immediately reminded me of some of the less dry pink Champagnes on the market; a lovely aperitif but also well suited to match fruity summer desserts.
By PATRICK STUART [email protected]
