February News
So, we have all hopefully survived ‘Dry January’… and so here we are in the month of February and lots of exciting new wines are arriving!
This month we would like to pay particular attention to the wines of Portugal and we’re thrilled to have some favourites back as well as some new listings.
What amazes me still about wines from Portugal is the myriad of different styles and grape varieties, some of which are rarely seen outside of Portugal, or even a specific region. In the far north of the country, close to the Atlantic, where the climate is cooler and the countryside is green and somewhat wet compared to the rest of the country (>2000mm rainfall p.a), here you have wonderful light aromatic white wines, vinho verde’s made from Loureiro, Alvarinho (aka Albarino), Arinto, Trajadura from the Minho region.
However, less than an hour and a half away you are in the Douro valley where the rainfall is considerably less and it’s hot and arid (<500mm rainfall pa). Here you have large robust wines from the red grape varieties of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca and Tinto Roriz that go into the production of Port.
What is most exciting, is that this region has come to realise the potential of these grape varieties for making some amazing non-fortified red wines of real character and quality. Casa Ferreirinha Papa Figos Tinto and Vinha Grande, Krohn Tinto at £12.95 and Lavradores Feitoria Tinto at £14.95 are great examples of this recent transformation.
From the north we have the world class wines from the Soalheiro family with their 100% Alvarinho 2023 at £20.00: dry, crisp, aromatic and with lovely salinity and length that shows why they are one of the best produces from the region. We also list their beautiful Espumante Sparkling wine that is yellow citrus in colour, with fine and persistent bubbles. The aroma of the fruit reveals Alvarinho grape, showing a good balance between acidity and alcohol (12% vol.). Azevedo produce a lovely lighter example made from 50/50 Loureiro/Alvarinho for £13.50.
Moving south into the Bairrada region we have Luis Pato, and for those of you that know me I love ducks and it just so happens Pato means ‘Duck’, hence all their labels are duly emblazoned with varying images of my feathered friends.
Luis has perhaps single handedly not only saved this wine region from obscurity, but also the grape varieties of Maria Gomez and Baga.
The first produces again wonderfully aromatic white wines, appley zestyness and stone fruits. The Baga is more serious dark red fruit and spices, see Luis Pato Vinha Pan as well as an excellent sparkling as well.
Moving inland and just over an hour’s drive south of the Douro, is the central Dao region, which has sprawling vineyards in varying altitudes from 200 – 1000 metres above sea level with surrounding pine forests and granite outcrops. Quinta dos Carvalhais was bought several years ago by the Sogrape Group and have instilled an amazing focus on the local grape varieties of Touriga Nacional and Encruzado for their whites (the latter is Branco Especial £59.00 and I think the standout wine from a recent tasting I attended in London) but well worth looking at is Beatrice’s Encruzado at a more reasonable £26.00 a bottle and I think gives those white, Burgundy lovers something else to consider imbibing. Their Tinto at £17.95 has been a firm favourite of ours and is probably the best it has ever been, with lovely soft red berried and herbal notes. It is surprisingly fresh and lighter in style than you would expect but at the same time being quite serious!
Another favourite of ours to make a reappearance is the Colheita from Quinta dos Roques at £19.95, matured in 225 litre in used French oak barrels for 6-10 months and a wonderful blend of Touriga Nacional, Jaaen, Alfroncheiro, Tinto Roriz and Tinto Cao.
Suffice to say, you may not have heard of some of these grapes varieties before but please do not let that put you off trying them as there are some stunning wines to be had here.
Santé!