Horácio Simões – esoteric Moscatel

Apologies for the poor (Blackberry) pic!

With its tradition of Port and Madeira, not to mention the Moscatels which have so regularly struck gold at Decanter World Wine Awards, Portugal is without peer when it comes to fortified wines.

And the creative juices are flowing. Take Filipa Pato Espirito de Baga, an exceptionally smooth, pure and fresh fortified Baga from Bairrada.

Or the starkly contrasting Horácio Simões Bastardo 2009 from Peninsula Setúbal which, selected for his 50 Great Portuguese Wines, Olly Smith so aptly dubbed “a hand grenade dipped in marmalade” (click here for my review).

Last week in Porto I was expertly steered in the direction of two exciting new releases from Horácio Simões by Sérgio Pereira, Head Sommelier at Rui Paula’s DOP.

Unfiltered, Horácio Simões Single Cask Moscatel Roxo is a rawer expression of Moscatel Roxo than I’ve previously encountered, less focused on the floral lift, more on the spices and dried fruit (dates, sultanas); great tang, concentration and layer. Naughtily, toothsomely sweet. A great substitute for pudding (though I had no trouble cleaning my plate of Paula’s gravity-defying take on lemon meringue pie, so light…).

Horácio Simões Colheita Tardia Moscatel Galego Roxo 2011 might just have stolen the perfume from the Single Cask Moscatel. It is an intensely heady (roses and turkish delight), sorbet pure late harvest Blanc de Noir with a terrific grapefruity citric acid backbone which lends great precision and racy drive to the palate. I suspect it also makes this dessert wine seem a good deal drier than it is, so chalk and cheese in comparison with the Single Cask Moscatel!

Finally, a word of advice about DOP. Go! The Menu Mar was outstanding – an exquisite interpretation of the fruits of the sea, beautifully presented, inspirational in its use of texture and unexpected ingredients, yet very true to the raw ingredients. I regret not taking my camera!