In the drama Downton Abbey, which depicts the lives of the British nobility in the early 20th century, meals unfold like a ritual rather than a simple repast. The evening table of the Crawley family, the protagonists, continues within the family's strict order and traditions. The fortified wines that open and close the theatrical flow of the meal are Sherry and Port.
Before the meal begins, those gathered in the drawing room sip Sherry from small glasses and begin to socialize, and after the lavish banquet ends, only the men remain to share Port and discuss politics and the economy—a typical scene among the upper class in the early 20th century. For them, fortified wine was not merely alcohol but a cultural device symbolizing the family's wealth, international refinement, and unchanging tradition.
Sherry and Port are representative fortified wines developed in Spain and Portugal, respectively. As maritime trade expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries, wine increasingly had to be shipped long distances, and techniques to raise alcohol levels to improve preservation became necessary.
A method took hold of adding distilled spirits such as brandy to wine during or after fermentation, and in this process fermentation stopped, leaving sugar behind and creating a distinctive sweetness and texture. Wines with higher alcohol were relatively stable for long-distance transport and, over time, gained more complex flavors through oxidation and aging.
These fortified wines evolved along the port cities of the Atlantic coast, adapting to each region's environment. In Portugal's Douro Valley, Port emphasized structure and concentration, while in Jerez in southern Spain, Sherry established a diverse range of styles through various aging methods.
Among them, the Setúbal Peninsula, south of Lisbon, Portugal, forged its own distinctive path, different from Sherry or Port. Thanks to the humid air blowing in from the Atlantic and the natural shield provided by the Arrábida mountains, Setúbal has the ideal environment to produce grapes with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.
The decisive difference from other fortified wines lies in the variety with a flamboyant aroma called Moscatel de Setúbal. Although the method of adding spirit during fermentation is the same, Setúbal's winemakers went a step further. To extract the explosive aromatics of the Moscatel variety to the extreme, they carry out a long maceration process by leaving the grape skins in the wine even after fortification.
The producer who established this style and introduced it to the world is José Maria da Fonseca. Founded in 1834, this winery is a family-run producer spanning seven generations and is considered one of the oldest wineries in Portugal. In 1849, it presented Portugal's first wine made from the Moscatel de Setúbal variety, cementing the identity of the region's wines.
João Pires Moscatel de Setúbal 10 Years is a representative wine that showcases this tradition. During fermentation, neutral brandy is added to halt fermentation, followed by maceration with the grape skins for more than about five months. It is then blended with pressed wine and aged for a long period in wood, with the wines used in the blend averaging more than 10 years of aging. Some components undergo aging for 10 to 15 years, developing even deeper flavors.
In the glass, the color shows a deep, dense amber hue. On the nose, orange peel, dried apricot, honey, and anise harmonize, joined by nutty and toffee nuances from aging. On the palate, a viscosity rich enough to be felt accompanies a gentle sweetness that continues long and steadily.
This wine is particularly strong when paired with various desserts. It matches well with chocolate or caramel desserts and nut-based desserts such as almond, and it also balances with intensely flavored foods like blue cheese or foie gras. It is not merely a drink to cap off a meal but functions as an element that completes a course. It won "Best of 2026" in the fortified wine category at the 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards. The domestic importer is Allvintage Wine.