For The Love Of Port

It would be interesting to see what others would like to be drinking besides Douro wines?

Do you have a plan of attack and are you going to begin with entry level, mid-price or upscale wines? Any specific brands/producers that come to mind which you are curious about?

I have always had a soft spot for the Arinto grapes from bucelas but there are not that many so it doesn't count as an exploration. But I do plan to pick up those I can next spring to enjoy in the summer.

Arinto, I agree. Hopefully the example sitting on the shelf downtown will deliver the goods when next vintage shows up.

TN: `07 Prova Regia Arinto, Bucelas Portugal.

13% alc, $20 Cdn, good natural cork, long thin-necked bottle unusual, wine comes from Companhiadas Quintas.

Color. Light straw w. brief hints of green.

Nose. Has a lot going for it with some appealing aromatic tones. Grass, minerally, BC apple like Granny Smith, passionfruit and lime as it warms. Distinct and funny how these tones did not follow through on the palate.

Palate. Initial entry is dry, no spritz, mineral, very brisk striking acidity. "This is the norm" HRH Jancis.
Reminds me of a typical V Verde, lots of citrus throughout. "Certainly not even close to a tropical fruit bomb...apple, pineapple" from across the table. Went quite well with a sauteed pork cutlet, on day 2 had a herbal feel on the finish which was slightly less enamel stripping! Might try with some shellfish when I buy another.

I see that Arinto is blended with Chardonnay, now thats future research eh.

I love Bairrada and Dao. Both in red and white. The top Bairrada wines need time in bottle either in red or white. The Dao, IMHO, can/will produce the best wines in Portugal...love the acidity, the freshness, the subtleties!!! Not so much in your face type of wines (some produces still try to produce beefy wines...unfortunately) but with great potential. Let´s hope the region sees its promise acomplished...

Favourite producers from Bairrada:

Qta. das Bágeiras
Luis Pato
Qta. Foz de Arouce (a bit north of Bairrada)
Quinta da Dona (Alianca Group)
Campolargo (New Wave Bairrada though good)
Sidónio de Sousa (Garrafeira label is worthy)
Kompassus
Filipa Pato
Qta. dos Cozinheiros (a bit south of Bairrada)

Favourite producers from Dao:

Vinha Paz
Qta. dos Roques
Álvaro de Castro (Pellada, PaPe, Carrocel)
Qta. do Perdigao
Qta.do Corujao
Qta. das Marias
Qta. dos Carvalhais
Qta. da Falorca

Hope to hear some feedback on some of these wines...

Anything beyond Dao which is the most common wine from Portugal in my area. Not saying I won't continue to drink Dao's...

I am interested in anything. I generally want to start with cheaper wines, just to get an idea. Nothing over $20, unless there are compelling circumstances. Portugal has a lot of different grapes, a lot of different possibilities.

A recent one I tried was the Periquita by Jose Maria da Fonseca, from Terras do Sado. That one was nice. I didn't write anything down about it, but I know I'd drink it again. I also tried a relatively cheap offering from the Estremadura which was certainly drinkable.

I know I like the Dao region. I love the Grilos and the Quinta dos Roques. Thus far those have been my favorites. The Grilos is my go-to bottle. If I'm at the shop and I can't think of something I want to buy, I always get that.

I have had mixed results with Alentejo. Pretty dry stff from there, as I first learned on my trip there over two years ago. One of them opened up on the third day. Another one, which I mentioned in the catchall section of the forum awhile back, had such a nice complex taste to it. It had the dry, and it didn't take so long to open up like the other. Both of these were pretty traditional blends, except there was a little cabernet sauvignon thrown into the mix. I understand that they are making stuff there with Alicante Bouschet now. I know that's not exactly a Portuguese variety, but it sounds kind of interesting. There seems to be a lot more experimentation in that region, anyway, though I am not sure if that's good or bad.

It's kind of hard to talk about these wines because most of them have blends that are not easily memorized. The grapes are very hard for me to keep straight, and many of them have multiple names, which makes it even harder. I have searched online in vain for a comprehensive guide to all the grapes of Portugal. Does such a guide exist?

I still have a bottle that's a blend of arinto and bical, from Beiras. Hopefully I'll find a way to get to that at some point. Summer has passed already, but I get the feeling I should drink that bottle soon.

I like that Portugal is the land of the great unknown when it comes to wine. Every bottle I buy is a new adventure.

Brian C. wrote:
I know I like the Dao region. I love the Grilos and the Quinta dos Roques. Thus far those have been my favorites. The Grilos is my go-to bottle. If I'm at the shop and I can't think of something I want to buy, I always get that.

Brian,

Are you talking about Grilos white or red? I'm curious, what is the retail price in the US?

thx!

Daniel,

I'm talking about the red. Didn't know there was a white; I'll have to keep an eye out for it. Here in Chicago it's about $13 or $14. I think it's cheaper on the East Coast where there is a bigger Portuguese population and an established distribution network for Portuguese table wines. I just have to accept that I'm going to have to pay more for them in Chicago.

Daniel R. wrote:I'm curious, what is the retail price in the US?

Around $10

Brian C. wrote: Didn't know there was a white; I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

I don't know if it is exported but in Portugal there is both a red and a white. I like them both. Excellent price / quality.

Brian,

If you liked the regular Periquita from Terras do Sado by Jose Maria da Fonseca you should try their Periquita Reserva. It used to be called the Periquita Classico but I guesss the term "Reserva" has more of a cachet. I've tried a couple of vintages in the past and both were excellent. The last bottle I had was the 1995 vintage and it was excellent. I loved it and decided to put away a few bottles.

Cheers...............Mahmoud.