A version of this article also appeared in gremolata.com
Portugal is by far the leader in the production of corks for the world's winemakers - over 400 million corks are made each year from the bark of cork-oak trees like the one pictured, and millions of them are used by the thriving local wine industry.
This G7 stands for the number of Portuguese wine regions in which the five wineries whose products we tasted make wine. They gave a presentation on the Portuguese wine industry and an even better lunch. It was very stylish, catered by Sotto Sotto, and with it we tasted some of the winemakers’ prized high-end offerings.
First key observation – Portugal remains a great place to look for quality wines at lower prices. Indeed, some of the wines we tried retail for less than $10 in Ontario. Second observation – some of the indigenous grapes of Portugal (which number around 280!) are capable of producing serious high quality wines worthy of their high price tags.
Some key varieties to look out for are Touriga Nacional, which is considered Portugal’s top red grape and which produces rich and bold wines, and the fruitier though also usually fairly full bodied Castelao (also called Periquita), which is the leading grape of the big Alentejo region. Trincadeira is another important grape, noted for its dark colour and spicy notes. There’s also Tinta Roriz and Aragonez, but those are actually a couple of the Portuguese names for the main Spanish red, Tempranillo, which can range from medium to fuller bodied, usually with good dark red fruit notes, including cherries.
In whites, there’s another Spanish grape that’s being produced more and more on its own in Portugal: Alvarinho (in Spain, Albarino). It is frankly among the finest white wines anywhere – fuller bodied, aromatic and fruity, it’s also very dry and with high acidity. In my view the Spanish albarinos tend to be fuller bodied, but there are certainly some Portuguese ones that qualify. Alvarinho is great on its own, or great with seafood and salads.
For example at the lunch we had Follies Alvarinho 08 with a Tris di Mare: a “seafood mosaic of seared scallop, seared tuna & garlic shrimp” with the neat touch of some guacamole on the side. It was a sublime start to the meal.
Alvarinho is also one of the key ingredients in the light, fresh white Vinho Verde – it’s Portugal’s best known white, is usually inexpensive and is a blend that includes Loureiro too. Another fresh and fruity white is Arinto.
Of course Portugal is very much an Old World wine producer: they are all about the blend and single varietal wines are rare – so the only place you usually see the grape name is in the small print at the back.
Selected G7 wines
Quinta da Avaleda 2007
This vinho verde has Bold and aromatic nose - with floral notes over lemon and peach. There's a light petillance (faint bubbles) on the palate, which is actually quite common in a vinho verde and the winery representative spoke of a "CO2 spritz". There's lots of lemon fruit, acidity is crisp and there's good ripeness in the white and tropical fruit. Good finish of lemon and peach. 87 points.
Alianca Particular 2006
Very bold nose of ripe red fruit and bold oaky notes of cedar and steeped tea. Acidity is high on the palate and there's a vanilla note as well as smoke under the ripe red fruit - which is of the lighter berry style. Quite smooth and juicy, and there's a good finish of cherry and tobacco. 88 points.
Charamba 2005
The name of this low-priced red was born of frustration. The winemaking rules in the Douro are very strict and they got fed up with the paperwork and someone said "all this caramba!" So they added an "h" and put it on the market. Darkly fruity nose with herbal notes and an earthy touch, but just a bit of cherry/berry aroma. Acidity is fairly high and tannins about medium. It's less fruity than expected but there is some juicy cherry fruit in there if you look. A few floral, green notes as well. I tasted this wine last year and it was better - it's still good value but you don't want to be laying this down in the cellar... 86 points.
Periquita 2006
Fresh but ripe nose of berry fruit and a herbal note. Acidity and tannins are moderate to high but in good balance. There's some sour cherry fruit on the palate and a hint of brine and spice. Although this is a fairly soft and fruity wine, there's also some smoke and vanilla, giving it great complexity for the price. 87 points.
Vista TN Reserva 2007
A relatively muted nose of dark red fruit - raspberries - with suggestions of cherry cough candy. There's also a herbal/green note. Acidity and tannins are fairly high. The fruit on the palate is a pleasant surprise: ripe but very fresh and juicy. There's a bit of vanilla/oak hint and a brine note. Good finish. 87/88 points
Tinto da Anfora 2006
Dark and very ripe nose with lots of berry fruit and some spice. Fresh acidity on the palate, which also has ripe red fruit and tobacco and coffee secondary notes - there's even a bit of smoke. Decent finish. 87 points.
Quinta de Camarate 2007
Bold nose with herbal and floral notes over ripe red fruit and fresh figs. Tannins and acidity are both high. It's not too fruity on the palate and there's a nice smoky note. This is good now but will improve if cellared. Nice finish. 88 points
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