Moscatel do Douro + salt caramel = heaven

Before parting with a gift of Paul A Young salt caramels, I deemed it necessary to check if the recipient liked salt caramels.  Crazy question, I know, but then my sister – yes, my own flesh and blood – recently revealed that she was not such a fan!  It was a different story at last month’s Sip & Savour wine lunch when this salt caramel chocolate tart, caramel marshmallow with salt caramel ice cream was pronounced the perfect match with Quinta do Portal Moscatel do Douro Reserva 2004.

Aside from complementing the flavour profile of Sixtyone Restaurant‘s Arnaud Stevens’ divine dessert, this fortified Moscatel from Port country had sufficient freshness to cut through the richness of the dish and cleanse the palate after each mouthful. A freshness which gives away the fact that grapes are sourced from higher climes than Portugal’s other great fortified Moscatels, Moscatel de Setubal.  For me, the perception of freshness is also tied up with the fact that Douro Moscatels are made from Moscatel Galego, a.k.a. Muscat à Petits Grains, which tends to produce a slightly more delicate wine (Moscatel de Setubal is made from Muscat of Alexandria).

Quinta do Portal Moscatel do Douro Reserva 2004

Portal’s Moscatel comes from the Mansilha Branco family’s vineyards in Favaios at 600m at the northern end of the Pinhão Valley. It’s a classic example with a delicious nuttiness to its caramelised orange and barley-sugar palate. Not only did it have the freshness to bring balance to the ensemble (especially when served chilled) but, having been aged for several years in wood (none new), it also had the depth of flavor and complexity to marry with the chocolate tart and all its intricate, textural accompaniments. So well that the restaurant was bathed in a reverential silence for minutes!  127.2g/l residual sugar, 18% abv.   £11.99 at Hennings Wine Merchants (half bottle)

You can read a full report of Sip & Savour’s Vinho Verde/Douro lunch at Sixtyone here on wine sponsor Blend All About Wine’s online magazine.