The Moscatel de Setúbal belongs to Venâncio da Costa Lima, a family who has been producing and selling wines for four generations, since 1914Photograph: All Rights Reserved

Portugal has several wines with a world reputation, with Madeira Wine and Port Wine heading the list, but it keeps winning awards around the world for its wines. The most recent to have won world recognition is the Moscatel de Setúbal Reserva 2006, a muscat wine that conquered the first place in the 11th annual Muscats du Monde wine competition, which took place on 30 June and 1 July 2011 in Frontignan-la-Peyrade (Maison Voltaire) in the Languedoc Roussillon Region of France.

A wine from the coastal region of Setúbal, the Moscatel de Setúbal belongs to Venâncio da Costa Lima, a family who has been producing and selling wines (whites, reds and muscats) for four generations, since 1914.

Moscatel de Setúbal has been participating in the French contest since 2008, with good classifications, but only this year was it able to reach the first place, being considered the best muscat of the world. A special award, says Joana Vida of Venâncio da Costa Lima, that will help Moscatel de Setúbal, a wine mainly sold in Portugal, to be known all over the world. Especially because this wine competition has a good reputation around the world counting with a panel of international expert judges who taste the wine in blind tests.

Muscat wines are considered to be “unmatched in the richness of their sensory expression”, as described on the Muscats du Monde website. There are several varieties around the world and their colour can be red or white but all of them are characterised by a muscat aroma. Described in a presentation by Venâncio da Costa Lima, this wine is described as “very sweet, fragrant wine, with candied orange flavours, floral and raisin when young, developing nutty, toffee aromas with maturity.”

The Moscatel de Setúbal awarded this year is from 2006 having been aged for five years in wooden casks.