Tag Archives: Portugal

Terroir Intense

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 In the center of Portugal, slightly more in the North, the small wine region of Dao can be found. With incredibly intense wines, they offer great value and quality.

 The climate is temperate, where the winters are cold and rainy and the summers dry and warm. Soils are poor and granitic with poor retention of water, and the grapes varieties,  combine to give different wines with more tannins, more acidity and freshness.


 In the case of red wines, we have the Touriga Nacional grape variety that gives wines of intense red colour. 

It has a high potential for aging, the aromas are intense, of high complexity, very mature black fruits and forest fruits. In the mouth it is full-bodied, persistent, robust, with an unmistakable velvety tannin structure, very fruityand elegant.


Just the kind of terroir we very much enjoy.

DAO – ADEGA DE PENALVA

$13.99 regularly $14.99

12.5% Alcohol

UPC: 05606469000053

No Fuss. No Muss

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This is a fresh, dry white from high-altitude vineyards which bring freshness to the resulting wine. Lower yields in 2020 have brought a little more weight and depth to the wine, nicely balanced by the refreshing acidity.

Citrusy notes from a lemon yellow colour with greenish hues. Crisp on the palate, lively acidity.  Clean and fresh finish.

The Reserva Planalto is an unoaked blend of 25% Viosinho, 20% Malvasia Fina, 15% each of Gouveio, Códega and Arinto, plus 5% each of Rabigato and Moscatel. 

This certainly qualifies if you’re looking for a new house White. It’s dry, uncomplicated, and goes with just about anything you craft for a meal.

DOURO BRANCO RESERVA – CASA FERREIRINHA PLANALTO

$12.99 regularly $14.99

12.5% Alcohol

UPC: 05601012115505

Become a frequent purchaser

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Beira Interior is a rather disparate region covering a vast swathe of inland Portugal south of the Douro and east of Dão. Vineyards are grown at altitude on granite soils. In the north, grapes are similar to those of the Douro while the south has a whole mix of varieties. 


A wet and fertile area, the grapes ripen with moderate sugar levels and refreshing acidity, meaning that the wines are usually lowish in alcohol at about 10-11%. Astringent, low alcohol red Vinho Verde is also produced. 


Despite the challengingly arid climate here, this is a dynamic region, referred to sometimes as Portugal’s ‘new world’.


60% Loureiro, 20% Alvarinho and 20% Avesso. These grape varieties tend to produce more complex and structured wines than some of the other Vinho Verde varieties. 


The nose is fragrant, crisp flavours and a very good acidity. The mouthfeel is pleasant. It finishes long, with salty lemon flavours.


Write it on the back of your hand.  Take the picture with you.  This is a selection you want to make at your next visit to the ‘dairy’  Be Brave and adventuresome, and you’ll be rewarded with it becoming your next favourite.

VINHO VERDE – BICO AMARELO

$13.99 regularly $15.99

11.5% alcohol

UPC: 05604882810105

Unveiling Number 11

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The Goddess of Wine has selected another dozen mystery wines for us and this is the unveiling of the first of the case.

It is the most sold Portuguese White Wine in the world.  You’ll find it in more than 70 countries and the brand had stayed relevant through innovation. There’s lots of citrusy fruit flavours. Tangy too.

You can’t miss the brightly coloured label – it certainly stands out.


Serve it really cold … put the glasses in the fridge for half an hour before too. It’s young, very light, and fresh. Simple.


VINHO VERDE – AVELEDA CASAL GARCIA

10% alcohol

$11.49  regularly $12.49

UPC: 05601096208308

Summertime Summertime. Out on the Deck

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Animus Venho “Verde” refers to the fact these are young wines meant to be drunk early.  The wine is light, fresh, and delicious.

Get ready to be surprised.  And she was!  She, who doesn’t like bubbles, got by the slightly fizziness on the side of the glass very quickly.

This is a wine that is going to make you smile, even before you taste it.  Look closely at the label.  Great Artwork. The green ‘i’ in the name gives you a hint at what’s coming.

The grapes are pressed at low pressure, and then fermented with low temperature.   90% Louriero (one of the major grapes in the region) and 10% Arinto grapes.   The Faria family has been making wine in Vinho Verde for over 200 years. Beginning just a decade ago, growers like Vicente Faria decided to make their own, estate Vinho Verde and take control of the finished wine.

After all, Vicente is a 7th generation winemaker, so he has a long family history to his advantage. He also studied oenology in Bordeaux and Portugal to give him a broader slate on which to draw ideas and concepts. Up to five grapes can be used for Vinho Verde, but he only used the best two, resulting in a great wine. 

This is going to be great with salad and nibblies.

Vinho Verde Animus 2019

$11.99 regularly 13.99

10.5% alcohol

UPC: 05601815411514

Almost Seductive

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This one is for the modern stylists.  Nicely balanced.  Quite Fruity but with good structure and has a bright freshness about it.


A very pleasant wine – either by itself or paired with Continental cuisine – pasta, cheeses, and crusty breads.


The game changed in the early 1990s when international investment arrived with the opportunity to modernize and update.  New and old vintners alike found new markets to showcase their indigenous grapes.

The family of vintners has found that Touriga Nacional is the most flexible of grape varieties because it adapts so well to both dry and wet conditions. The vines are planted up and down the slope and patamares (terraces) with one or two rows of vines.

It is a lovely blend of 30% Tinta Roriz, 25% Touriga Franca, 35% Touriga Nacional and 10% Tinta Barroca

2018 Flor de Crasto

14% Alcohol

$17.99 

Happy with the Change Up

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Very little stayed the same from initial thought to what ended up on the plate.  

Everything changed around the lamb chops and we moved from a South African Cab Sav to Northern Portugal and a Touriga Nacional to go with it.


It all ended well and we very much enjoyed the wine. Expressive. Smooth and rich with just a touch of oakiness.


Serve it a little cooler than room temp and you’ll really experience the complexity.


When you’re looking for something to serve with spicy meats — this would be a great go to.


I’m going to look for some of the whites from Opta and it’s wine maker, Nuno Cancela de Abreu.  I like the style of their wines and the uniqueness of the grapes.


Dao Touriga Nacional by Opta.

13% alcohol

Regularly $24.99, on sale for $22.49 when the Goddess of WHine put it in the 3rd mystery case.

UPC: 05604816000633

A House Divided

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890283

DAO – Pedra Cancela Selecao 2016

Regularly $17.99  On Sale for $16.99

13% Alcohol

Northern Portugal – Dao Region


A blend of Touriga Nacional, Alfochiero, and Tinta Roriz.  They rested six months in oak barrels and three months in bottle prior to release.


Very diverse reactions to the first sip.  Bron’s comment was Not sure we would take that anywhere because I’m not sure how they would react to it.

Moi, on the other hand, loved it at first swirl.  It’s definitely a different blend of grapes which might not appeal to a lot of palates.

Decanter World quite likes it because they give it 96 points, and a Gold Medal Decanter World  Award.

Did it stand up during dinner?
You betcha. But, as Bron says, there’s definitely cherry in there


When I made the tzatziki – was very glad that I had sheep yogurt in the fridge.  The extra little zing helped bring out the flavours of both the wine and what I did to the Moroccan style meatballs using warm spices (cinnamon, cumin, coriander, ginger). Fresh lettuce from the grand daughter’s garden.   Thin Pita from our Persian Baker.


Frozen Yo(gurt) with Cloved Apricots for dessert.

Winner White from Portugal

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Code: 156059

Setubal Jose Maria Da Forseca

Portugal

11.5% Alcohol


Regularly $13.49, on sale for $9.99


Seaside, the Setubal Peninsula is directly south of Lisbon. Another limestone-centric hilly region where both the reds and the whites have gained acclaim. They’ve been doing wines here since the 5th Century BC – so they’ve got it figured out, and that’s why they’ve won a lot of international awards.


Moscatel de Setubal and Arinto Grapes.  Dry. Crisp. Lovely body.  A great blend.


Quite different than the Spanish Rueda Valley Spanish White the other night, but just as enjoyable.  It would be interesting to have both these at a tasting together.


We had decided on prawn/pasta bowl – and it worked really well with the wine.  Whole wheat pasta (Italian) with a stir fry of green onion/mushrooms/zucchini/red pepper/garlic.  Prawns were tossed in finely zested lemon, and then tossed with some basil on the spinach at the end.


Dessert was homemade  berry/apple strudel (in phyllo)

Can you spare me a rib … or Six

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DAO – PEDRA CANCELA SELECAO DO ENOLOGO


Code 890293$17.99


a 96 Pointer Gold Medal Decanter World Wine Awards 2019 


Lots of aroma. Medium Bodied with LOTS of flavour.

 
Dao is one of the oldest and most established wine regions of Portugal. (North Central) being first recognized in 1908.  They use lots of French and Portuguese Oak.  

A new experiment.  Instead of our traditional way of doing pork ribs, Bron decided that we would try Valerie Bertinelli’s version.  Less muss, easier clean up but just as tasty as Linda Gogolski’s version (which we’ve done since she did them for us 35 years ago in Washougal Washington).


Methodology certain is worthwhile – save 30% on prep and 90% on cleanup by doing it this way.  But, next time, will go back to using Linda’s sauce.


Musica was Madredeus – Portuguese Fado