The Cellar: Portuguese Discoveries

The Cellar: Portuguese Discoveries

Portuguese table wines are becoming better with each vintage and represent a great value for the price-minded wine explorer. Up until the late 1980’s regulations barred private entities from buying grapes, allowing only cooperatives that privilege. In 1989, when Portugal joined the European Union, these restrictions were lifted, paving the way for a modern-day wine revolution.

Hundreds of new wineries and investments in the millions have helped raise the quality significantly. While the fortified wines Port and Madeira are still the most popular Portuguese wines, enthusiasts from all over the world are becoming increasingly infatuated with the delicious table wines being produced from the more than 230 grape varietals grown in this exciting wine producing country.

2009 Quinta da Aveleda Follies

One of the things that make Portuguese wines interesting and unique is the almost exclusive use of indigenous grape varieties in their most popular appellations. This week’s first wine is a blend from the Minho, one of

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

the most agriculturally productive regions located in northern Portugal just below the Spanish border.

Quinta da Aveleda is one of the leading producers in the Minho. While the Follies portfolio is considered their ‘entry-level’ wines, the quality of these wines is outstanding considering their price tags. The 2009 Follies Alvarinho and Loureiro blend comes across crisp with citrus notes on the initial attack, then turns creamy on the mid-palate displaying delicious stone fruit flavors on the finish. Wine Enthusiast Magazine rated this wine a whopping 91 points! While not a 90+ wine in my book it certainly is an easy sipper I see going well with a wide range of light dishes, including most seafood.

2006 Casa de Santar Dão

Along with Douro, the Dão Region represents the best of what Portugal has to offer in terms of red table wines. While the Dão didn’t become an officially recognized demarcated wine region until 1908, excavations in the

area show traces of wine cultivation dating back more than 2,000 years. As with wines from the Minho, Dão wines are primarily indigenous blends. Touriga Nacional is the leading red variety in this region along with Alfrocheiro and Tinta Roriz, known as Tempranillo elsewhere in the world.

Casa de Santar is the largest private estate in the Dão region with more than 120 hectares of vineyards and a large modern winery. The 2006 Estate Dão is a big and powerful wine that needs a couple of hours of aeration. There are elegant dark fruit, spice and herb aromas on the nose. On the palate this full bodied dry wine displays cherries, dark chocolate, earth and tobacco flavors. I see it pairing with most rich, filling and full-flavored meat dishes.

W&J Graham’s “Six Grapes” Reserve Port

No review of Portuguese wine would be complete without highlighting the country’s flagship wine, Port. The history of Port goes back centuries. With the seemingly non-stop wars between English and France constantly

halting trade between the nations, English merchants had to look elsewhere to meet the rising demand for wine. During a search in Portugal in the 1670’s wine merchants discovered a wine which was being fortified with grape spirits to make it more stable during transport. The English fell in love with this new style of wine almost immediately and Port, named after the city Oporto from where the wine would ship, was born.

There are a dozen or so different types of Port ranging from easy drinking Ruby Ports to complex and often expensive Vintage Ports. The “Six Grapes” Reserve from W&J Graham’s is a mixed-vintage blend sourced from the young vines destined to make the prestigious Vintage Ports once they have reached maturity. Considered the ‘everyday Port for the Vintage Port drinker’ this wine, already cask-aged for 5 years, is ready to be enjoyed. It is rich and full flavored displaying sweet jammy dark fruits and spice with acidity and tannins well-integrated. Stored cool this wine can stay fresh for a couple of months.

Enjoy!

If you have any wine-related questions, comments or concerns feel free to contact Steffen Rasch by emailing [email protected]. And as always, don’t forget to follow GoLocalProv’s Wine Cellar on Facebook.