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Both Douro and Dao vintners are said to disparage the Alentejos, saying that they are "not Portuguese wines; they are French wines made in Portugal." In point of fact, the Alentejo producers are starting to produce a lot more mono-varietals, including of native Portuguese grapes. Besides, there is nothing wrong with producing Tempranilla (called Aragonez in the Alentejo and Tinta Roriz elsewhere in Portugal) and Cabernet; they do it very well. I should mention that while they "are said" to disparage their Alentejo counterparts, I have never heard them do so myself.
The Dao wines are less aggressive -- read "tannic" -- than their Douro counterparts, but just as earthy. Portugal's grand grape, the Touriga Nacional, is in abundance here and makes an extremely complex wine with a long finish. The Quinta do Perdigao family of wines are great examples of this. Quinta dos Roques makes a beautiful blend of Touriga Nacional and Tempranilla (Tinta Roriz), which rather undercuts the alleged criticism of the Alentejo.
The Alentejo wines are much less earthy and, consequently, much more floral. Herdade das Servas made a beautiful Touriga Nacional in 2004. Compared to the complex Quinta do Perdigao mentioned above, the das Servas is much more layered, beginning with plum and ending almost with tobacco. Also, I would mention the family of Herdade de Esporao wines. A great and ancient estate, Esporao's eponymous wines are blends, in which Tempranilla (Aragonez), Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, and Trincadeira predominate. They also release a number of monovarietals, of which the Aragonez is my favorite although the Touriga Nacional is more popular. Herdade de Esporao's wines are distributed widely and not very expensive. Quinta do Mouro is another blend of Tempranilla (Aragonez), Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouschet, and Cabernet Sauvignon that I tasted recently. The 2004 reserve was intense, mineral, and very long.
By the way, since I kept mentioning Tempranilla and its other names in Portugal, here are a couple of others that might be confusing:
Arinto = Pedernã
Fernão Pires = Maria Gomes
Aragonez = Tinta Roriz = Tempranilla
Trincadeira = Tinta Amarela
Looking forward to see what others say...
My apologies!
Both Douro and Dao vintners are said to disparage the Alentejos, saying that they are "not Portuguese wines; they are French wines made in Portugal." In point of fact, the Alentejo producers are starting to produce a lot more mono-varietals, including of native Portuguese grapes. Besides, there is nothing wrong with producing Tempranilla (called Aragonez in the Alentejo and Tinta Roriz elsewhere in Portugal) and Cabernet; they do it very well. I should mention that while they "are said" to disparage their Alentejo counterparts, I have never heard them do so myself.
The Dao wines are less aggressive -- read "tannic" -- than their Douro counterparts, but just as earthy. Portugal's grand grape, the Touriga Nacional, is in abundance here and makes an extremely complex wine with a long finish. The Quinta do Perdigao family of wines are great examples of this. Quinta dos Roques makes a beautiful blend of Touriga Nacional and Tempranilla (Tinta Roriz), which rather undercuts the alleged criticism of the Alentejo.
The Alentejo wines are much less earthy and, consequently, much more floral. Herdade das Servas made a beautiful Touriga Nacional in 2004. Compared to the complex Quinta do Perdigao mentioned above, the das Servas is much more layered, beginning with plum and ending almost with tobacco. Also, I would mention the family of Herdade de Esporao wines. A great and ancient estate, Esporao's eponymous wines are blends, in which Tempranilla (Aragonez), Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, and Trincadeira predominate. They also release a number of monovarietals, of which the Aragonez is my favorite although the Touriga Nacional is more popular. Herdade de Esporao's wines are distributed widely and not very expensive. Quinta do Mouro is another blend of Tempranilla (Aragonez), Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouschet, and Cabernet Sauvignon that I tasted recently. The 2004 reserve was intense, mineral, and very long.
By the way, since I kept mentioning Tempranilla and its other names in Portugal, here are a couple of others that might be confusing:
Arinto = Pedernã
Fernão Pires = Maria Gomes
Aragonez = Tinta Roriz = Tempranilla
Trincadeira = Tinta Amarela
Looking forward to see what others say...
My apologies!
Tommy
See you in October!
Tommy
See you in October!
So we really have to look for table wines (vinho de mesa)?
So we really have to look for table wines (vinho de mesa)?
I've been planning to check out some Portuguese wines and this gives me the push to stop delaying. Yay! I've experienced the same difficulty finding Portuguese wines that some others have mentioned. But I've managed to come up with a bottle from Dão and another from Alentejano.
Hopefully this event will send a message to distributors that there is and interest in and demand for Portuguese wine.
I've been planning to check out some Portuguese wines and this gives me the push to stop delaying. Yay! I've experienced the same difficulty finding Portuguese wines that some others have mentioned. But I've managed to come up with a bottle from Dão and another from Alentejano.
Hopefully this event will send a message to distributors that there is and interest in and demand for Portuguese wine.
<a href="http://www.winey.info ">www.winey.info
<a href="http://www.winey.info ">www.winey.info
<a href="http://www.winey.info ">www.winey.info
www.winey.info
Cheers,
Jessica Yadegaran, Corkheads
Cheers,
Jessica Yadegaran, Corkheads
We're HUGE fans of Portuguese wine - and on hot afternoons we pull out a bottle of Vino Verdhe as it's cool and crisp, but low in alcohol. In fact, if I may do some shameless promotion, we published a WinePassport: Portugal last year. For those of you who aren't familiar with SmartsCo's products, we like to distill it down to the quick and dirty on our subjects. I'm sure top wine bloggers don't need the basics, but they do get to the point. Will post something on our site tomorrow. Cheers - Julie
We're HUGE fans of Portuguese wine - and on hot afternoons we pull out a bottle of Vino Verdhe as it's cool and crisp, but low in alcohol. In fact, if I may do some shameless promotion, we published a WinePassport: Portugal last year. For those of you who aren't familiar with SmartsCo's products, we like to distill it down to the quick and dirty on our subjects. I'm sure top wine bloggers don't need the basics, but they do get to the point. Will post something on our site tomorrow. Cheers - Julie
We're HUGE fans of Portuguese wine - and on hot afternoons we pull out a bottle of Vino Verdhe as it's cool and crisp, but low in alcohol. In fact, if I may do some shameless promotion, we published a WinePassport: Portugal last year. For those of you who aren't familiar with SmartsCo's products, we like to distill it down to the quick and dirty on our subjects. I'm sure top wine bloggers don't need the basics, but they do get to the point. Will post something on our site tomorrow. Cheers - Julie
We're HUGE fans of Portuguese wine - and on hot afternoons we pull out a bottle of Vino Verdhe as it's cool and crisp, but low in alcohol. In fact, if I may do some shameless promotion, we published a WinePassport: Portugal last year. For those of you who aren't familiar with SmartsCo's products, we like to distill it down to the quick and dirty on our subjects. I'm sure top wine bloggers don't need the basics, but they do get to the point. Will post something on our site tomorrow. Cheers - Julie
Saludos-- hope you raise the bar & establish a new participant record!
<a href="<a href="http://vinomadic.blogspot.com/2007/10/wine-blogging-wednesday-38.html
http://vinomadic.blogspot.com/2007/10/wine-bloggi.../>
"><a href="http://vinomadic.blogspot.com/2007/10/wi...
2348 h. I'm a rank, process-oriented late-modernist in this post-post modern (blog) world...I opened the more expensive (26.50 6.5?% tax) 1996 Quinta do Carmo-- 'drink now through 2001' says the WS blurb on this North Carolina online merchant's page. Whoops.
The '91 is very slowly opening & seems to be holding up amazingly well-- some light but lively sour cherry in there! I'll check in & publish this now, but, like the proto-pop modernist old serials & 'graphic novles' (glorified comics?) used to put it,
(...continuará...!)
...yeah, in another cultural context-- Johnny Carson!-- 'More to Come!'
Saludos-- hope you raise the bar & establish a new participant record!
<a href="<a href="http://vinomadic.blogspot.com/2007/10/wine-blogging-wednesday-38.html
http://vinomadic.blogspot.com/2007/10/wine-bloggi.../>
"><a href="http://vinomadic.blogspot.com/2007/10/wi...
2348 h. I'm a rank, process-oriented late-modernist in this post-post modern (blog) world...I opened the more expensive (26.50 6.5?% tax) 1996 Quinta do Carmo-- 'drink now through 2001' says the WS blurb on this North Carolina online merchant's page. Whoops.
The '91 is very slowly opening & seems to be holding up amazingly well-- some light but lively sour cherry in there! I'll check in & publish this now, but, like the proto-pop modernist old serials & 'graphic novles' (glorified comics?) used to put it,
(...continuará...!)
...yeah, in another cultural context-- Johnny Carson!-- 'More to Come!'
Saludos-- hope you raise the bar & establish a new participant record!
<a href="<a href="http://vinomadic.blogspot.com/2007/10/wine-blogging-wednesday-38.html
http://vinomadic.blogspot.com/2007/10/wine-bloggi.../>
"><a href="http://vinomadic.blogspot.com/2007/10/wi...
2348 h. I'm a rank, process-oriented late-modernist in this post-post modern (blog) world...I opened the more expensive (26.50 6.5?% tax) 1996 Quinta do Carmo-- 'drink now through 2001' says the WS blurb on this North Carolina online merchant's page. Whoops.
The '91 is very slowly opening & seems to be holding up amazingly well-- some light but lively sour cherry in there! I'll check in & publish this now, but, like the proto-pop modernist old serials & 'graphic novles' (glorified comics?) used to put it,
(...continuará...!)
...yeah, in another cultural context-- Johnny Carson!-- 'More to Come!'
Saludos-- hope you raise the bar & establish a new participant record!
http://vinomadic.blogspot.com/2007/10/wine-blog...
2348 h. I'm a rank, process-oriented late-modernist in this post-post modern (blog) world...I opened the more expensive (26.50 + 6.5?% tax) 1996 Quinta do Carmo-- 'drink now through 2001' says the WS blurb on this North Carolina online merchant's page. Whoops.
The '91 is very slowly opening & seems to be holding up amazingly well-- some light but lively sour cherry in there! I'll check in & publish this now, but, like the proto-pop modernist old serials & 'graphic novles' (glorified comics?) used to put it,
(...continuará...!)
...yeah, in another cultural context-- Johnny Carson!-- 'More to Come!'
There are so many good wines it's difficult to select a few but I will throw a few names out there for anyone who's interested. In general the Alentejo region is making the best wines for the average drinker. The Dao and Douro wines tend to be earthy but the higher end wines from those regions are among the best. The climate is very different thoughout the country so you really need to try wines from several regions to find the flavor you like. Many of the Vintners are making blends, not a common practice from our North American Vintners but highly desirable in my book. Some personal favorites include Quinta Do Mouro, Tinta da Anfora (very reasonable), Redomo, and with the right food like pasta, Periquita can be outstanding. I would also recommend Joao Pires as an excellent white wine for fish, or just sitting on the deck on a warm sunny day eating Olives, bread, and some fresh Quejo Fresco. ]
There are so many good wines it's difficult to select a few but I will throw a few names out there for anyone who's interested. In general the Alentejo region is making the best wines for the average drinker. The Dao and Douro wines tend to be earthy but the higher end wines from those regions are among the best. The climate is very different thoughout the country so you really need to try wines from several regions to find the flavor you like. Many of the Vintners are making blends, not a common practice from our North American Vintners but highly desirable in my book. Some personal favorites include Quinta Do Mouro, Tinta da Anfora (very reasonable), Redomo, and with the right food like pasta, Periquita can be outstanding. I would also recommend Joao Pires as an excellent white wine for fish, or just sitting on the deck on a warm sunny day eating Olives, bread, and some fresh Quejo Fresco. ]