Go go go: Vinous Portugal

Sardinhas Assadas

11 Aug 2013: This summer we spent a couple of weeks exploring Portugal.  I had never been to this country before and my culinary expectations had been limited to: the famous Portuguese custard tart (Pastéis de Belém), bacalhau, fresh sardines and piri-piri chicken ('frango piri piri').  Well, we ticked all these boxes and accomplished much more. The trip opened my eyes to a very interesting culinary scene in Portugal that seems to be evolving at a very exciting pace. Some of the top restaurants we dined at, including DOP in Porto (together with sister restaurant DOC in a town called Folgosa, near Pinhão), Ocean at Vila Vita and Vila Joya, with the latter two in the Algarve, were turning out some really creative and classy dishes deserving of their existing or expectant Michelin stars,all using fresh local produce.

Dusk in the Algarve

Tomato and mozarella at Vila Joya

How about the wines?  Well, the wine scene was even more exciting - before I set off, I had done a little research and made myself a wish list of the wines that I would like to try while in Portugal.  In the end, we tried so many interesting wines (mainly through dining at restaurants, with some tastings at wineries) and we had barely scratched the surface of this list!  I hadn't been too impressed by the espumantes (sparkling wines) that I tried, but the reds and whites really showed some great quality and promising potential.  Below is a list of the wines that we had tried (and made a note of) and would recommend (please excuse the brief notes as I was mostly writing on scraps of paper or paper napkins):

The following wines have been ordered in alphabetical order.

White:

2011 Branco, Quinta dos Avigados, DOC Douro
An elegantly made, nicely balanced Douro white, very reasonably priced!


2012 Quinta da Aveleda, DOC Vinho Verde, 11.5% 
(60% Loureiro, 30% Trajadura, 10% Alvarinho)  Bright and fresh.  Floral, lime zest, grapefruit and peach. Some mineral complexity on palate.  Good acidity, well-balanced. Crisp finish.  And at a lowish alcohol of 11.5%, this makes an excellent aperitif or pairing with seafood, light starters. For early drinking.  This is my type of wine for picnics and Lamma Island outings!

2009  Quinta dos Carvalhais Colheita Seleccionada, DOC Dão
Almost white port like, waxy texture, full-bodied, lowish acidity.  Nutty and caramel. A wine for cellaring.

2010 Conceito, DOC Douro, 13.5% abv 
(Rabigato, Códega do Larinho, Códega, Viosinho, Gouveio)  Barrel fermented and part barrel aged.  Creamy palate, lots of spice and oak, but lovely fruit underneath.  Good complexity and concentration. Almost like a white burgundy. A wine to cellar.  

2010 Vinho Branco Reserva, Herdade do Esporão, Alentejo 
(Arinto, Antão Vaz, Roupeiro, Semillon) Apple, citrus (lime and tangerine), floral notes, with some toasty character from barrel fermentation and ageing. Well balanced, creamy texture. Quite rich.  A food wine.  I had enjoyed this with padron peppers, prawn tempura and deep fried sushi at Bica do Sapato (Lisboa) - another restaurant I highly recommend.

2011 Private Selection, Herdade do Esporão, Alentejo, 14.5% abv
(Semillon, Antão Vaz) Pale golden colour.  Honey, lanolin, peach, honeysuckle, lemon curd, with notes of toast and grilled almond.  Medium-full bodied, very firm acidity.  Voluptuous on the palate. Well balanced. Lush mouthfeel, but not cloying. Quite alcoholic though. Great with food.

Bacalhau a Lagareiro

2012 Herdade dos Grous Vinho Branco Reserva, Alentejo, 13.5% abv 
(Verdelho, Antão Vaz, Viognier)  Aged and fermented in 225 litre barrels.  Honeysuckle, apricot, nutty, with vanilla notes.  Racy acidity to balance the richness.  Good acidity.  Finishes long.  Very good food wine.  Perfect with 'Bacalhau à Lagareiro', a traditional oven-roasted bacalhau dish. (Also can go with red wine!)

2012 Wine and Soul Guru, DOC Douro 
(Viosinho, Rabigato, Códega do Larinho and Gouveio)  From old vines grown on schist and granite soil, at altitude 550 metres. Barrel fermented and aged in new French oak barrels for 5 months.  Pale lemon. An intense and expressive bouquet of toast, herbal, citrus peel, with grilled almond notes. The generous palate, bolstered by zesty acidity, slowly leaves you with impression of chalk, wet stones and savoury aftertaste. Linear, precise, and elegant. A remarkable effort (and a tiny production!). (We tasted this with winemaker Jorge Serodio Borges.)

Check out the fresh goat cheese and olive oil bread!

2008 Vinho Branco Reserva, Quinta da Maritávora, DOC Douro
Field blend, from old vines, mainly Códega do Larinho, Rabigato, Viosinho.  Where freshness meets richness, very well judged balance here.  Not heavy at all.  Grapefruit, honey, lanolin, herbal, with some toasted almond notes. Saline finish.  Purity of fruity, winemaking precision, elegance embodied in richness, here's a wine to last for a very long time. (Owner Manuel Gomes Mota served this wine, with the most delicious fresh goat cheese I had ever tried! And you have to have this cheese with an olive oil bread! Heavenly!)



2011 Vinho Branco Colheita, Quinta da Maritávora, DOC Douro
Freshness and vigor are the signatures of this white Douro wine.  Perfect with steamed prawns (camarão) and clams cooked in garlic, parsley and white wine sauce!  Divine on a summer day, with a seafood platter!!!

2010 Pêra Manca Fundação, Eugénio d'Almeida, DOC Alentejo 
(Antão Vaz,Arinto)  Also quite honeyed, with spicy notes of ginger and nutmeg.  Medium bodied.  Well structured and balanced...finishes long.

2012 Vinho Branco Reserva, Quinta de Saes, DOC Dão, 13% abv 
(60% Encruzado, 40% Sercial)  Perfumed nose.  Lime blossom, lime, green apple and white peach.  Lively acidity, flavour complexity building into layers of minerality on the palate.  Medium bodied. This went beautifully with the tomato and mozarella dish at Vila Joya!









2010 Quinta de Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas, DOC Vinho Verde Alvarinho, 13% abv
One of our favourite Alvarinhos on this trip.  Substance, elegance and freshness, all in one!


2012 Vinho Branco, Quinta de La Rosa, DOC Douro
A honeyed and herbal nose, with notes of grapefruit, spice and lanolin coating the palate, finishing with minerality.  Medium acidity. Rounded mouthfeel. A wine for drinking now and in the medium term.  Full of character and complexity.


Red:

2006 Aneto Grande Reserva, DOC Douro, 13.5% abv 
(50% Tinta Roriz, 50% Touriga Nacional)  Sweet and spicy notes of plum, mulberry, violet, liquorice, cloves, incense, tobacco and vanilla. Savoury on the palate. Velvety texture, very suave and elegant.  Medium bodied,vibrant acidity.  A recommendation by the sommelier at Vila Joya.


2004 Touriga Nacional, Quinta dos Carvalhais, DOC Dão
A Sogrape winery.  Deep ruby hue. Plum, blackberry, violet, earthy and smokey. Medium frame.  A very fine effort, very elegant, but perhaps without the depth, concentration nor length of the other red wines that we tried on this trip. Perfect for drinking now. 

2010 Quinta do Crasto Reserva, DOC Douro
70-year-old field blend. 16 months in French and American oak.  Juicy and chewy right now. Quite retrained on the nose, but supple and lush on the palate.  Almost sweet on the finish.  Needs time though.

2010 Vinho Tinto Reserva, Herdade do Esporão, DOC Alentejo
Plum, cherry, with hints of violet and tobacco.  Medium bodied.  Quite high in tannin. 

2009 Quinta do Francês, Odelouca River Valley, Algarve 
(Aragonês, Trincadeiro, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah)  Aged 14 months in new French oak.  Deep ruby.  Smokey, plum, black and blue fruit notes, blackberry, blueberry, black pepper notes. Elegant and lush, mouthcoating, complexity building on the palate, with long finish, hard to imagine as coming from hot and dry Algarve (probably thanks to the heat resistance of Trincadeiro)!

2000 Grande Escolha, Lavradores de Feitoria, DOC Douro, 13.5% abv 
(Touriga Nacional, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cão)  Lavradores de Feitoria is a joint venture formed by a group of producers.  This bottle came from Vila Vita's underground cellar.  Still a fresh bouquet of violet, tobacco, plum, fruitcake, with stoney minerality.  Well-integrated supple tannin and medium level of acidity captured in a mid-weight frame. Drinking at peak now and will continue to hold for 4 - 5 years.  Slight dryness on finish.  


2009 Meruge, Lavradores de Feitoria, DOC Douro 
(80% Tinto Roriz, 20% old vines)  Plum, smokey, earthy, spicy, coffee bean, and black pepper, nutmeg and cloves. Supple tannins.  A very fine effort, that marries concentration with freshness, quite stylish, and reasonably priced for the quality. Drink now and over next 5 - 6 years. A very stylish barbecue wine!

2007 Três Bagos, Lavradores de Feitora, DOC Douro
Red cherry, plum, earthy, violet and spicy notes.  Supple tannin, giving velvety texture.  Ripe fruit, well balanced.  We had this at DOP restaurant!  Great recommendation by the sommelier!

Bacalhau dish at Largo

2010 Primeira Escolha, Luis Pato, DOC Bairrada 
(50% Baga,50% Touriga Nacional)  Very elegant and emphasis on finesse, freshness and purity of fruit.  Fine structure. Perfect with roasted fish, such as salmon, bacalhau and tuna (such as the above dish at Largo, Lisboa!)


2012 Quinta do Manoella Vinhas Velhas, DOC Douro
From hundred year old vines.  Cherry, blackberry, violet notes, with dusty, minerally undertones.  Loved the elegance and freshness here......very precise and linear.  


2007 Vinho Tinto Reserva, Quinta da Maritávora, DOC Douro
From the quinta's cellar.  Tasting very fresh, cherry, plum, spicy and smokey notes, with some floral character. Tannin still to be integrated for this warm vintage but it is drinking very well now with a robust structure.  Good acidity.  Can do with some bottle age.


2008 Vinho Tinto Reserva, Quinta da Maritávora, DOC Douro, 14% abv 
(Field blend: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and others.) Winemaker Jorge Serôdia Borges (also Wine and Soul). Aged in French oak 18months.  Warm black cherry, spicy notes, within a dense and concentrated structure.


2011 Vinhas Velhas Grande Reserva, Quinta da Maritávora, DOC Douro
Tasted from tank, weeks before bottling.  100% new oak. Aged 18 months.  An excellent effort, full of finesse, precision, purity and depth.  Very precise and fine.  A wine for the cellar!  

2008 Quinta da Pellada, Alvaro Castro, DOC Dão, 13% abv 
(Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz) Beautifully balanced, harmonious, drinking beautifully now.



2011 Wine and Soul Pintas, DOC Douro
80 year old vines.  Coffee, violet , mineral, wet stones, overlaid with blackberry and plum notes.  Plush, voluptuous, ripe tannin and firm acidity coating the palate. Muscular power nicely wrapped within the velvety texture.  Dense but very elegant.  2011 was a hotter vintage than 2012.  

2012 Wine and Soul Pintas, DOC Douro
Quite a different style from the 2011 vintage.  More reserved and classic.

2004 Vinho Tinto Reserva, Quinta de La Rosa, DOC Douro, 15% abv
From the Quinta's own cellar.  This was a brilliant effort.  Still very taut, full of energy and tension, within a robust and firm structure of ripe tannin and plenty of concentration.  Violet, blueberry, plum, cherry, roses and spices. Vibrant acidity complementing the balance with plenty of freshness.  A wine for the cellar!


2009 Vinho Tinto, Quinta de La Rosa, DOC Douro
Aged in seasoned oak of 2, 3, 4 and 5 years.  Notes of dried raisin, plum, mulberry and violet.  Nice concentration, with balance, harmony and a fine structure.  Very elegant.  A wine to be enjoyed now and for drinking over 8 - 10 years.  (And the Reserva is highly recommended if you can find it!)

This is by no means an exhaustive list and I look forward to going back to Portugal to try more of these characterful and elegant wines!

The captivating landscape of the Douro