Price is right in Portugal
Wine from Portugal may be a dollar or two less than the same quality bottle from Italy or Spain. (Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff)
By Stephen Meuse
February 6, 2008
Further proof, if any is needed, that the weakening dollar continues to make European goods more expensive here is on its way to a wine shop near you. We're already hearing groans from retailers as importers reset their prices upward for 2008. No one, least of all the producers themselves, are happy to look on as EU wine exports become steadily less competitive vis a vis South America and Australia. And with exchange rates strongly in their favor, non Euro-dependent producers have little incentive to keep their prices down - a situation that only compounds the problem for consumers here.
An exception to this unhappy trend appears to have taken hold, at least temporarily, in Portugal. The market won't always undervalue this land of ancient vineyards and varietals whose names tangle the tongues of outsiders, but for now there are some bargains. For the most modest wines, you may well pay a dollar or two less for pretty much the same quality when the wine comes from Portugal rather than, for example, Spain or Italy.
Scouting the shelves, we actually found some entirely drinkable $5 or $6 Portuguese offerings - a number that's quite unthinkable elsewhere. Their labels typically carry the vinho regional designation, meaning they come from a large demarcated area like Alentejano and Ribatejano. Winemaking rules are more flexible there than in the more prestigious DOC areas, such as the Douro Valley where most Port grapes are sourced. For some, the extremely low price will be enough to recommend these wines, though no super cheapie made our five best list.
These wines aren't particularly rich or big-bodied, but will more than hold their own alongside a hearty soup, stew, or sandwich. The cheery ray of Iberian sunshine they bring the winter kitchen is a bonus. - STEPHEN MEUSE
Quinta dos Grilos "Grilos" Dao. Bright red berry aromas and flavor profiles; texture a tiny bit scratchy, but simple, fresh, and appealing. About $11. At Prospect Liquor, Cambridge, 617-876-9409; Ball Square Fine Wine & Liquors, Somerville, 617-623-9500; Cardullo's Gourmet Shoppe, Cambridge, 617-491-8888.
Cabriz Dao 2005. Good, steady, persistent red fruits and some earthy notes; nicely balanced; modest heft; good candidate for winter season house red. About $8. At Wine and Cheese Cask, Somerville, 617-623-8656; Wollaston Wine and Spirits, Quincy, 617-479-4433; Wine Bottega, North End, 617-227-6607.
Castello d'Alba "Unoaked" Douro 2005. Nice, high-toned, mouth-filling fruit; pleasantly juicy with fine zip; not much in the way of texture, but this is a little sweetheart. About $12. At Busa Wine & Spirits, Lexington, 781-862-0310; Gordon's Fine Wine, Waltham, 781-893-1900.
Castello d'Alba Douro 2005. No oak impression on the palate, unless as a little less angularity than its unoaked counterpart above; light, but hints at complexity. About $9. At Wine & Cheese Cask; Gordon's; Ball Square.
Jose Maria Fonseca Terras Do Sado Periquita 2004. Nicely flavorful with spicy red fruits and briary herb profile; shows a bit of flesh, too. Easy to like. About $11. At Cambridge Wine & Spirits, 617-864-7171; Table & Vine, West Springfield, 413-736-4694; Our Glass Wine Co., Saugus, 781-941-8068. - S. M.
Stephen Meuse can be reached at onwine@comcast.net
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I think there was as much or more aguardiente than there was Portuguese dry wines.