A lot of time large scale tastings covering a certain region or country are not great ways to showcase wine - too much filler, too little interesting product. Thankfully, the Wines of Portugal event held this Tuesday intrigued us enough to overcome our skepticism, and thankfully we found lots of interesting wines - some available in the U.S. and some not.The wineries present represented all of Portugal's growing areas and specialized in whites, reds and ports along with a smattering of rose and sparkling wines. We stuck to the indigenous grapes such as Alvarinho, Arinto, Aragones and Touriga Nacional, avoiding the more international styles whenever possible.
Here are some of the highlights, with a focus on wines that have distribution in place and thus possible to find in stores and restaurants:
One of our favorites was Campolargo - they showcased something around 10 wines and all were very interesting. We liked the Calda Bordaleza 2006, the Campolargo Dao 2007 and especially the Termeao 2006 "Red Bird". All were reds and all quite good.
Another good house was Quinta do Mouro. Again, we stuck to reds and found the Casa dos Zagalos 2005 and Quinta do Mouro 2004 to be rewarding, though the '04 could do with more aging. The favorite, however, was a 2006 Vinha do Mouro, which was a blend of Aragones, Cab Sauvignon, Trincadeira, Syrah and Merlot and was surprisingly fruity.
Adega Luis Pato showed a pair of sparkling wines that we enjoyed - the Baga NV and the Touriga Nacional Rose NV. Both are highly recommended.
Alves de Sousa in Douro used to sell wine in bulk for ports but now makes their own labels. The Alves de Sousa Reserva Pessoal 2003 was well structured and had years to go as did the Quinta da Gaivosa Red 2005. But the highlight was one of our favorite wines served by anyone - the Abandonado Red 2005. This wine was flat out delicious.
Another good producer was Monte da Penha - their 2007 Reserva White was clean, crisp and great for warm weather (retail around $19). A 2004 Reserva Red was round and dusty but just okay, while the Fino Reserva Red 2004, a blend of Alicante, Bouschet, Aragones and Trincadeira was very good.
Esporao Wines & Olive Oils had several good wines but alas no olive oil. We enjoyed the Monte Velho White 2008 and the Esporao White Reserve 2007, which was richer with a color more like a rose. We tried two reds - Esporao Private Selection Red 2005, which was good, and a very good Esporao Red Reserve 2006.
Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima was another good producer - the Espirito Lagoalva 2008 was a great summer white - fresh, crisp with a bit of effervesence and retails for about $12. Their Quinta Lagoalva de Cima Arinto & Chardonnay 2008 was also good, and lacked the oak that all too often accompanies Chardonnay. For reds, they had a very good Espirito Lagoalva 2005 that was 50/50 Castelao and Touriga Nacional.
Monte da Ravasqueira had several good wines. The 2008 Rose was very dry and very good - a grown-up rose for sure. The 2007 Red was good but a big, alcohol wine not showing a lot of fruit. Their Vinha das Romas Red 2006 was also fairly high in alcohol at 14.5% but drinking well.
Lastly, we would be remiss if we did not mention the Ports. Ramos Pinto had several on display - the 10 Year Old Tawny was excellent, rich and balanced. Even better was the fantastic 20 Year Old Tawny. After that, the 30 year old was a let-down since it was merely good. We recommend avoiding the "value port" from Porto Claustru (Tawny NV). If you are so inclined, wholesale rate is $37 for a case of 6.
However, the 20 Year Old from Graham's was rich and delicious. The perfect capper to an impressive showing.
Another good house was Quinta do Mouro. Again, we stuck to reds and found the Casa dos Zagalos 2005 and Quinta do Mouro 2004 to be rewarding, though the '04 could do with more aging. The favorite, however, was a 2006 Vinha do Mouro, which was a blend of Aragones, Cab Sauvignon, Trincadeira, Syrah and Merlot and was surprisingly fruity.
Adega Luis Pato showed a pair of sparkling wines that we enjoyed - the Baga NV and the Touriga Nacional Rose NV. Both are highly recommended.
Alves de Sousa in Douro used to sell wine in bulk for ports but now makes their own labels. The Alves de Sousa Reserva Pessoal 2003 was well structured and had years to go as did the Quinta da Gaivosa Red 2005. But the highlight was one of our favorite wines served by anyone - the Abandonado Red 2005. This wine was flat out delicious.
Another good producer was Monte da Penha - their 2007 Reserva White was clean, crisp and great for warm weather (retail around $19). A 2004 Reserva Red was round and dusty but just okay, while the Fino Reserva Red 2004, a blend of Alicante, Bouschet, Aragones and Trincadeira was very good.
Esporao Wines & Olive Oils had several good wines but alas no olive oil. We enjoyed the Monte Velho White 2008 and the Esporao White Reserve 2007, which was richer with a color more like a rose. We tried two reds - Esporao Private Selection Red 2005, which was good, and a very good Esporao Red Reserve 2006.
Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima was another good producer - the Espirito Lagoalva 2008 was a great summer white - fresh, crisp with a bit of effervesence and retails for about $12. Their Quinta Lagoalva de Cima Arinto & Chardonnay 2008 was also good, and lacked the oak that all too often accompanies Chardonnay. For reds, they had a very good Espirito Lagoalva 2005 that was 50/50 Castelao and Touriga Nacional.
Monte da Ravasqueira had several good wines. The 2008 Rose was very dry and very good - a grown-up rose for sure. The 2007 Red was good but a big, alcohol wine not showing a lot of fruit. Their Vinha das Romas Red 2006 was also fairly high in alcohol at 14.5% but drinking well.
Lastly, we would be remiss if we did not mention the Ports. Ramos Pinto had several on display - the 10 Year Old Tawny was excellent, rich and balanced. Even better was the fantastic 20 Year Old Tawny. After that, the 30 year old was a let-down since it was merely good. We recommend avoiding the "value port" from Porto Claustru (Tawny NV). If you are so inclined, wholesale rate is $37 for a case of 6.
However, the 20 Year Old from Graham's was rich and delicious. The perfect capper to an impressive showing.
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