Allvintage Wine, a wine distribution corporations, said the Portuguese wine "José Maria da Fonseca" it imports won "Best of 2026" in the fortified wine institutional sector at the 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards for its "João Pires Moscatel de Setúbal 10 Years."
The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is Korea's flagship liquor competition, now in its 13th year. With the goal of "discovering good domestic alcohols and promoting them widely, and supporting the formation of a sound drinking culture," ChosunBiz has held it annually since 2014.
This year's event drew entries from 260 companies with a total of 1,118 brands. It is the largest among domestic competitions that cover a full range of alcoholic beverages. Of these, 449 brands won grand prizes.
José Maria da Fonseca is a winery founded in 1834 and operated over seven generations. It has the distinction of producing Portugal's first Moscatel de Setúbal wine in 1849.
João Pires Moscatel de Setúbal 10 Years is made from 100% Moscatel de Setúbal. Allvintage Wine noted that it features aromas of orange peel, dried apricot, and nuts, along with toasty flavors developed through more than 10 years of aging in wooden casks.
The product is made by macerating with grape skins for five months and then adding neutral brandy to halt fermentation. It is then aged in oak barrels for 10 to 15 years to refine the texture and enhance the finish.