Portuguese wine

Friday I tried some Portuguese wine. All red. I think Portugal is an interesting wine country as they are, at least to me, most well known for their port wine, but they do make excellent “normal” wine as well. Specifically reds I think. Just like Germany. Well known for their white, but their reds are not bad at all. They probably are smarter than selling their good wine abroad, and keep it for themselves.

But back to portuguese wine. It was a tasting arranged by Portugisiska Viner. Fredrik Karlstrand (in Swedish) hosted the session. The session itself was very good, so if you want to know more, contact Fredrik.

We tasted five different reds, and here they are with my tasting notes. All wines have relatively high grades of alcohol (13%-14.5%), and it is noticeable. The grades I give (N out of 5) are among these five. I did not have any reference wine to compare with, and I am definitely not good enough to say whether we talk about 80 or 90 on the normal grades that exists. I think we talk about 1 being around 75 and 5 be around 85. I.e. good quality wines.

Cortes de Cima 2005 (80078, SEK139). From Alentejo. Produced by Cortes de Cima. Main grape: Aragonez. This was a tasty wine, full body, but a bit short in taste. Berries, and according to what I understand, a typical Aragonez based wine. It has around 34% Syrah, but this can not really be found, neither in nose, nor in taste. I give this 4 out of 5, if you want a wine you can drink now. I do not think it is something to save.

Quinta de Chocapalha Reserva 2005 (89916, SEK179). From Estremadura (Alenquer). Produced by Quinta de Chocapalha (Casa Agrícola das Mimosas). Main grape is Touriga Nacional. This is a wine from a location where they planted the first grapes as late as 2001-2002, and one can notice that in the wine. It is not the best, maybe it ends up being better after storing it. I am a bit nervous on this as it did not have as much tannins as normally is needed. I give this 2 out of 5.

Quinta do Ribeirinho Primeira Escolha 2003 (80566, SEK224). From Beiras (Bairrada). Produced by Luis Pato. Main grape is Baga. The wine is very typical Baga, according to what I (now) know about it. It is a full bodied wine, good specifically for people that like to have their wine young. I think this wine can be stored for a few years. Longer taste than the others. I give this 3 out of 5, but it has potential to become better. I would try it again in three years.

Quinta de Saes Reserva Estágio Prolongado 2006 (83842, SEK198). From Dão. Producer Alvaro Castro. Main grape is Touriga Nacional. The wine is very flowery, with more flower than berries. Touriga Nacional give that I understand, but also the grape Jaen that is in this wine help with this. Also some licorice. This wine can be stored, and has a quality that is comparable with the first wine, Cortes de Cima although I think this has potential to be stored. I give this 4 out of 5, and I would taste his again in three years. Good wine for the price.

Redoma Tinto 2003 (89414, SEK239). From Douro. Producer Niepoort. Main grape Trincadeira. The Trincadeira grape is also used in Port, so there is not surprising that I think it has a bit of a port finish, although not as much alcohol of course. This was the best wine of the tasting I think, ready to drink now. Very soft, round body, and a taste that lasts. Not as long as very good other wines, but definitely something I would like to have again. Fruity, but not a dessert. Nice tannins. I give this 5 out of 5 as this was a wine ready to drink now, at the same time as it has potential a few years from now.