Tag: Portugese Wines

Pacheca Grande Reserva 2011 – Douro, Portugal

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This powerhouse greets the nose with a blend of peppery spice, moss, black fruit, raisins, and cocoa.  The front palate gets a kick in the face from fresh strawberries and cocoa, and a hint of pepper.  Black rubber, old leather, cocoa, faint vanilla, and red fruits are pulled together by powerful (but no too) tannins and a peppery finish.  This is a true reserva, with all the aged wisdom that comes with that.  It was fantastic with roasted pork, and I imagine it paring well with any version of parillada.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Pacheca Grande Reserva 2011
  • Winery: Quinta da Pacheca
  • Region: Douro
  • Country: Portugal
  • Varietals: Touriga Nacional
  • Price: $?
  • Where to Buy: Lisbon

 

Vale da Poupa 2015 – Douro, Portugal

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A bursting fresh nose with kiwi, citrus, pear, and passion fruit.  If you’re more familiar with New Zealand’s Marlborough Valley Sauvignon Blanc, this will feel comfortable.  Acid, grapefruit, and passion fruit hit the front palate like, well, a mallet.  So full and vibrant it almost feels bubbly in the mouth.  Slides across the center of your tongue like a flaming snake, delicious and unpredictable.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Vale da Poupa 2015
  • Winery: Consultores, Lda – Quinta da Faisca
  • Region: Douro
  • Country: Portugal
  • Varietals: Moscatel Galego Branco (Muscat Petits Grains)
  • Price: $?
  • Where to Buy: Lisbon

Terra do Zambujeiro 2011 – Alentejo, Portugal

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Leather, dry leaves, and crushed flowers on the nose, with a faint hint of dark berries.  Red and black fruit, with vanilla on the front palate.  Dusty, chewy tannins come in on the mid-palate, with tobacco and more leather and pepper.  The rear palate is the real revelation where briny cherry flavors burst forth, complementing the dark, leathery and peppery finish.  I had this with a spicy pasta and the wine more than doubled the strength of the cayenne pepper in the pasta as it all washed down.  This gorgeous wine spent two years in French Oak and is unfiltered.  It was recommended to me by Tatyany Matos at Garrafeira Nacional in Lisbon.  Spot on recommendation (the woman’s a genius), true to the tagline on the label:  every drop, a drop of perfection.

  • Rating: Stunning
  • Name: Terra do Zambujeiro 2011
  • Winery: Quinta do Zambujeiro
  • Region: Alentejo
  • Country: Portugal
  • Varietals: Aragonez, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Touriga Nacional
  • Price: $?
  • Where to Buy: Lisbon

Herdade do Peso Reserva 2013 – Alentejo, Portugal

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Cherries and violets on the nose.  Nice acid, cherries, and cocoa hit the front of the palate.  Chocolate and leather notes intensify as it flows across the tongue, with woody notes shored up by powerful tannins.  The finish is long and chewy, and you’ll feel and taste the red fruits in your jaws as you swallow.  Herbal and earthy notes linger after the finish.  A nice red, worthy of the Portuguese label.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Herdade do Peso Reserva 2013
  • Winery: SOGRAPE Vinhos SA
  • Region: Alentejo
  • Country: Portugal
  • Varietals: Alicante Bouschet, Syrah
  • Price: $?
  • Where to Buy: Lisbon

 

 

Sidónio de Sousa 2009 Baga – Bairrada, Portugal

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100% Baga. A traditionally fermented Portuguese table wine, fermented in clay ancas with traditional maceration (i.e. trodden). Crushed cherries and violets on the nose. Chocolaty, velvety body with red fruit and a hint of vanilla flavors. Tough, Portuguese tannins give it a lot of structure. Faint slate and coffee notes on the finish. I picked this up at Brooklyn Wine Exchange for around $35-40. Solid, but I won’t buy it again at that price point. The M2, which we drank along with it, kicked its ass thoroughly. In fact, this wine and its Robert Parker 92 point rating is the poster child for why I started this blog: meaningless ratings by people who have sold their name to producers.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: 2009 Baga
  • Winery: Sidónio de Sousa 
  • Region: Bairrada
  • Country: Portugal
  • Varietals: 100% Baga
  • Price: $35-40
  • Where to Buy: Brooklyn Wine Exchange, 138 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Herdade dos Outeiros Altos Vinho Biologico 2012 – Alentejo, Portugal

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60% Alfrocheiro, 10% Trincadeira, 30% Aragonés certified organic. Another installment of the Portuguese table wine journey. This one, a blend of indigenous grapes and Aragonés (which is either Garnacha or Alicante Bouschet in drag, depending on who is talking, but Spanish regardless), attacks the front of the palate with juicy red and dark fruit with a floral punch. Violets and ripening raspberries on the nose followed across the tongue by the aforementioned fruits and slightly green plum, fig, cherry, mossy black rubber, and chewy tannins. These all sound rather dank, but the balance is good and body medium. I picked this one up at Brooklyn Wine Exchange for about $18-20 and it was a rockstar with goat cheese and mushroom tortellini.

  • Rating: Everyday Reds
  • Name: Vinho Biologico 2012
  • Winery: Herdade dos Outeiros Altos 
  • Region: DOC Alentejo
  • Country: Portugal
  • Varietals: 60% Alfrocheiro, 10% Trincadeira, 30% Aragonés
  • Price: $18-$20
  • Where to Buy: Brooklyn Wine Exchange, 138 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Víuva Gomes Collares Branco 2010 – Colares, Portugal

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IMG_2586100% Malvasia. An interesting little wine from the Colares wine region of Portugal. Squished between the hills of Sintra and the Atlantic ocean, the region is home to vines that – like the vines used for this wine – were never grafted because they grew too close to the sea for phylloxera to take hold. Like many Portuguese whites, a flinty, mineral character with some breezy ocean notes on it. I drank this with friends who also tend toward reds and it really caught everyone’s attention. I picked up a 375ml at Astor Wine and Spirits in the East Village, NYC for around $35.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Collares Branco 2010
  • Winery: Víuva Gomes
  • Region: Colares
  • Country: Portugal 
  • Varietals: Malvasia de Colares
  • Price: $35
  • Where to Buy: Astor Wine and Spirits, 399 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003

Crasto 2013 Douro – Douro, Portugal

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IMG_259835% Touriga Nacional, 30% Tina Roriz, 25% Touriga Franca, 10% Tinta Barroca. Nice red fruit up front, strawberries and cherries. Crushed violets into a peppery finish. Just enough tannin to hold it all together with a smack of leather. One of the more well-balanced and accessible Portuguese offerings. This wine doesn’t knock your socks off, but it’s well-rounded and can go well with a lot of things, from tomato pasta sauces to smoked or grilled meats. Ranges from $12-16 as carried by Whole Foods on P Street.

  • Rating: Everyday Reds
  • Name: Crasto 2013 Douro
  • Winery: Quinta do Crasto
  • Region: Douro
  • Country: Portugal
  • Varietals: 35% Touriga Nacional, 30% Tina Roriz, 25% Touriga Franca, 10% Tinta Barroca
  • Price: $12-$16
  • Where to Buy: Whole Foods, 1440 P St NW, Washington, DC 20005