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A Mano, Primitivo di Puglia - 2006

£6.49

From right down in the South of Italy this is a powerful, rich red full of spices, berry fruits and a touch of liquorice
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Alain Chatoux, Beaujolais Vieilles Vignes - 2007

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This is a true rarity - old vines, great quality generic beaujolais. Alain Chatoux has pulled out all the stops with this complex classic
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Allegrini, Amarone - 2004

£42.99

Spicy, strong and bitter-sweet, this is the epitome of the Amarone style. Balanced tannins, integrated oak and an intense, chocolate finish
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Grape Gossip, Portugal - The Mystery Explained

To view previous Grape Gossips click here

Over the next few weeks I’m working closely with Wines of Portugal to promote the image of Portuguese wines. In the past I think Portugal has been more famous for its thin acidic wines rather than its interesting, eclectic range of indigenous grape varieties. Due to relative geographical isolation and poor funds the Portuguese fell behind whilst other areas of the wine industry boomed.

Now all that is changing, Portugal’s entry into the EU has brought increased funding and radical improvements are being made in both the wineries and the vineyards. The amount of wine being made in cooperative wineries has fallen and the single estate, or quinta, is becoming significantly more important which in turn is leading to a distinct increase in quality.

When I’m talking to people about Portugal, I find that there are just so many grape varieties, which are often known by several different names in different regions…and they have weird names like Baga, Trincadeira or Arinto. All sooo confusing, however if you persevere I promise it’s worth it.

I remember going to a tasting with Henry, my first Manager. It was a Monday morning and Sunday being my day off I’d not has the earliest of nights the night before. We reluctantly headed out to Derbyshire for a Portuguese tasting thinking we should really attend because the chap we’d spoken to was really nice. Anyway we turned up and started to taste and, I kid you not, the wines were quite simply amazing. And when we compared them to the same quality in Bordeaux, for example, they offered superb value for money.

So from North to South here is a quick guide to the principal wine growing regions:

Vinho Verde: Largest and best known of Portugal’s wine regions. Most northerly wine growing area it has a warm climate in the summer but lots of rain throughout the year therefore the vines have to be planted so the bunches have lots of exposure to air (to avoid rot). Vinho Verde literally means green wine but it has nothing to do with the colour of the wine and nearly half the production of wine here is red!. It’s more to do with its youth or ‘greenness’, as traditionally you should always drink the most recent vintage.
Principal grape varieties – Loureiro & Padena, these give wines that are a little like Riesling with fresh aromas and crisp acidity & low in alcohol.
Also Alvarinho – this gives more aromatic green apple fruit styles of wine. Slightly more alcoholic than other Vinho Verdes.

Douro: Now I know this area is more famous for Port and not so well known is that this region has actually always made light wine and, until the ‘discovery’ of Port 300 years ago, this was the basis of its trade.
Principal grapes varieties: The grapes used for making port such as Tinta Roriz (same as the Spanish Tempranillo) are also used in light wine making, but increasingly there are plantings of international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. The best red wines are full bodied styles with dark, brambly fruits and firm tannins (almost a little port like).

Dao: Just south of the Douro, all the vineyards are sheltered on all sides by mountains therefore the area is much drier than the coast.
Principal grape varieties: The variety Jaen makes stunning wines that are fruity, elegant with lighter tannins. Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz make dense, dark brooding wines with more concentrated fruits.
For white wines the best are made from Encruzado and are rich, full bodied and nutty.

In Central Portugal, is the region of Bairrada - this name comes from the word for clay, so guess what? Yep the soils here are mainly heavy clay. This is a damp rainy region and most of the wine is red made from the local Baga grape. They have peppery, berry fruit flavours, high tannins and plenty of acidity.
For the whites the main grape is Bical. When fully ripe these wines are exotic, peachy and perfumed and they develop a lovely toasty character as the wine ages.

Ribatejo: Most wines from this region are red made from traditional Portuguese grapes such as Castelao Frances..,,sounds like the name of a dictator to me! If yields are carefully controlled this variety can make wines with crisp acidity and raspberry fruit.

And in the South…

Alentejo: This region stretches right to the Spanish border with very low rainfall and hot summers.
Principal grape varieties. For reds the Trincadeira is the most important producing dark, plummy wines with hints of coffee and chocolate. Sometimes you might see some Aragonez blended in or even bottled separately.
Roupeiro and Antao Vaz make full bodied, honeyed whites – some of which are often fermented or aged in oak.

So there you are folks, is it all as clear as mud now?! All I would say in conclusion is don’t be afraid of trying Portuguese wines, they are superb value for money and I’m confident that you won’t be disappointed.