Edinburgh Wine Club Tasting - Portugal - 21 January 2010 |
| A range of wines from local sources was chosen to represent the variety of indigenous Portuguese grapes (some also widely grown in Spain) and, in one case, the use of newer imports. Portugal has the oldest demarcated wine region in the world - the port area defined in 1756 - and now has a comprehensive wine classification system the highest of which is "Denominação de Origem Controllada" (DOC). "Vinho Regional" (VR) approximates to "Vin de Pays". The region most heavily represented at the tasting was DOC Douro (also the home of port) a baked, arid area in the north east of the country. |
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Ranking 1-3 and Best Value |
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Quinta da Aveleda 11.5% |
Loureiro |
DOC - |
Henderson Wines |
£5.99 |
Verde ("green") refers to youth rather than colour. The damp climate of this northwestern region means difficulty in ripening and so a tendency to acidity. A fresh, almost colourless wine with a marked spritz. Very pleasantly drinkable. |
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Quinta da Espiga 12.5% |
Fernão Pires |
VR - Estremadura |
Henderson Wines |
£5.99 |
"The naturally crisp, lemony Arinto grape is grown in a particularly windy warm area 15 miles north of Lisbon which benefits from more clay and even more warmth than the rest of Estremadura." Judged the better of the 2 white wines but by the narrowest of margins - 6/5. |
best white |
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Quinta de 12.5% |
Castelão |
VR - |
Oddbins |
£5.99 |
* Tinta Miúda = Graciano in Spain Label notes refer to clay and limestone soils; influence of the Atlantic; long maceration; traditional fermentation and oak ageing. A smooth fruity wine. |
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Altano 13% |
Tinta Roriz* |
DOC - |
Waitrose |
£5.99 |
* Tinta Roriz = Tempranillo in Spain. A product of the Symington family estate where they have been making fine wines for over 100years. |
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Vale da Clara 13.5% |
Touriga Nacional |
DOC - |
Oddbins |
£9.99 |
Produced at La Rosa by Sophie Bergquist & Jorge Moreira [www.quintadelarosa.com]. Fresh, vibrant and full of fruit with light tannins. Very drinkable. |
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Label notes: "Azamor's densely planted vineyards are situated near Vila Viçosa. Has been aged in the cellars in French & American oak casks. Elegantly structured and easily drinkable. Has received minimum handling and only lightly filtered prior to bottling." Scored highly (15) and was preferred by those who are less keen on tannic flavours. |
2 best value |
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Label notes: "Intense varietal fruit aromas with hints of spice. The palate is rich and vibrant, well supported by soft tannins and balanced acidity." We found this a fair description. It was among my personal favourites and scored respectably (6) though not among the top 3. |
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Cork reveals bottling by the Sogrape company. DOC Dão has changed greatly in recent years and this wine is very drinkable with a mixture of fruit and spice. Another respectable score (7). |
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This wine has 12 months in oak barrels; the label recommends serving at 18° C (which we more or less did) with pasta and red meats. Full of soft tannins and the runaway winner with 26 out of a max of 33. |
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3 |