Portugal - Six of the Best

The wines of Portugal were recently showcased in Leeds by ViniPortugal and Icep Portugal. As one of my perennial rants is the reluctance shown by many Trade promotional bodies to venture anywhere outside London, (with a couple of notable exceptions, you know who you are!) I was keen to support the event.

Vinous Portugal is best known for Port and for being a primary source of cork, but in addition Portugal has a tremendous wealth of distinctive indigenous grape varieties as well as the usual international suspects. Throw in varied regions, viticulture, wine-making techniques and skilled blending and it is no surprise that Portugal has a lot to offer.

Frankly, Portugal is hugely under-represented in the UK and its market share is slipping even further. Portugal is too often seen as a hard sell – obscure grape varieties, hard to pronounce names, quality that ranges from the rank to the wonderful and baffling wine laws all hamper the marketing effort.

And yet this means that there are some great wines waiting for those prepared to discover them. Here’s my personal six of the best from the Wines of Portugal event. There was plenty of good wine on show despite notable absences from the likes of Esporão, Redoma, Cortes de Cima and Zambujeiro.

In choosing these I’ve deliberately stuck to Portugal’s winter warming reds as we head towards the annual freeze. All were tasted without knowing the price in advance. As it turned out there’s something here for every budget.

And not a José Mourinho reference in sight…

1. Manuel dos Santos Campolargo, “Calda Bordaleza”, DOC Bairrada, 2004. 15%

As the name implies, a Bordeaux mixture, bravo! This is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Petit Verdot and 10% Merlot. Unfined and unfiltered with 12 months in new French oak, trés moderne. The old wine laws in the Bairrada region have been relaxed and it seems that now almost anything goes. Despite the choice of international varieties, this has plenty of individuality. A deep brooding core, purple rim and slow pink legs, the nose is all refined cedar and herbs. The palate has a lovely smooth texture with really good balance and concentration which belies that steroidal huge alcohol. Already drinking well now, this will improve yet and go another 10+ years. Decanter Awards Silver in 2006. 4,000 bottles made and only the label disappoints. £14.75. Contact Richard Cocksedge at Ocksewines in London, rjc@ocksewines.net. My overall wine of the show.

2. Companhia de Vinhos do Alandroal, Pontual Reserva, Vinho Regional Alentejano, 2004. 14.5%

Pontual make a very good range of wines from their base at Alandroal. This is their Reserva flagship, blended from 80% Alicante Bouschet, 10% Touriga Nacional and 10% Syrah. Another hefty wine, deep intense ruby red with pinkish legs and seriously opulent. Cassis and damson fruit on show, embraced by creamy vanilla derived from 12 months in French and American oak. Soft and rich, plenty of structure, fresh acidity and slightly dusty tannins. Something attractively earthy and liquorice-like appears on the nose and reprises on the long finish. Definitely one to decant and leave to open up before serving. Will improve over next 4/5 years too. Contact Tony Young at Robert Anthony Wines in Bradford, tony@rawines.fsnet.co.uk or alternatively halifaxwinecompany.com£13.95.

3. Peccatore Reserva, Quinta do Portal, DOC Douro, 2003. 13%

Peccatore means “The Sinner”, neatly encapsulated by the voyeuristic label. A lovely wine made in a lighter style from a Douro company best known for its Port. Super blend of three indigenous grapes: 60% Touriga Franca, 25% Tinta Roriz (the Douro name for Tempranillo) and 15% Tinta Barroca. Modern maturation - 25% French oak, the rest fermented in stainless steel. Cherry red, light and bright. Lifted nose shows a loose-tea quality. Very well balanced, medium bodied with ripe sweet red berry and a trace of blackcurrant, then a long cake-spice finish with a hint of cinnamon. Terrific value at around £6.00, expected at Majestic soon.

4. Herdade de São Miguel, Casa Agrícola Alexandre Relvas, Vinho Regional Alentejo, 2004. 13%

Another Alentejo wine. This time a blend of three indigenous grapes - Alicante Bouschet, Aragones (a local name for Tempranillo) and Trincadiera Preta, with a little Cabernet Sauvignon. This is very laid back! Plenty of lift to the nose with soft leafy red fruits. The rich mid-palate features sweet ripe blackberry and the tannins just need a little more time to soften. Toasted edge from some fairly gentle oak treatment, finishes very dry and a little hot but this is a super value food wine and fresher than their rather over-blown and more expensive Reserva. halifaxwinecompany.com £7.95.

5. Chryseia, Prats and Symington (P+S), DOC Douro, 2004. 14%

Chryseia was deliberately created as an icon by the famous Symington Port family (think Warre’s, Dow’s and Graham’s Ports) in association with Bruno Prats, ex-owner of Bordeaux’s Cos d’Estournel. The idea is to combine the very best Port grapes with Bordeaux expertise to make a wine of complexity and elegance. The first vintage released was in 2000. This is again a blend, of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. Small amounts of Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) and Tinto Cão are also sometimes included. The exact mix varies according to the vintage and is never disclosed. Only the very best grapes from the Symington estates are used, with very low yields, hand picking, destalking and slow careful fermentation before maturation for 8 months in new French oak.

This is a deep coloured wine with a blackish core and considerable viscosity. There’s a plummy perfume with an attractive balsamic edge. The palate is simply superb, lots of fresh acidity, a complex array of dark fruits all in balance so it seems almost weightless. A dark chocolate and mocha flavour comes through on a finish that lasts for minutes. Seamless build quality, decanting essential. I’ve been privileged to try every vintage released and the 2004 is quite possibly the best yet. Not yet at peak, I’d be tempted keep this for a couple of years, then fine drinking over the next 10+ years.

This is fantastic wine, but at a price, £29.50 from halifaxwinecompany.com, Hoults in Leeds, Wright Wines in Skipton, Byrne’s in Clitheroe. Still reasonable value when pitched up against the super-cuvees from round the world. P+S also make a second wine, Post Scriptum, using grapes not considered good enough for Chryseia. That wine delivers maybe 75% of the quality but for half the price.

6. Tinto da Ânfora Grande Escolha, Bacalhôa, Vinho Regional Alentejano, 2003. 14.5%

Not to be confused with the regular Tinto de Ânfora bottling, the Grande Escolha is only produced with the best fruit from the best vintages, previously only in 2001 and 1999. Grande Escolha literally means “great selection”. This 2003 vintage is a blend of 41% Aragonez (Tempranillo again) with 33% Alicante Bouschet and 26% Touriga Nacional. Made at the Herdade das Anforas winery By Bacalhôa (previously known as JP Vinhos), it was aged for 18 months in new oak, 90% French and 10% American. A dark garnet with high viscosity, there’s the expected vanilla on a concentrated nose that shows cassis and a leathery quality. The palate shows juicy ripe fruit, adding red berry and plum to the cassis. Underlying this is an attractive balsamic quality which leads out to a moderately toasty oak finish. Good complexity and enough tannic structure to improve yet. Contact www.ehrmannswines.co.uk for stockists, expected retail price is £13.99.

By the way the regular Tinto de Ânfora also includes Cabernet Sauvignon, a lighter, more rasberryish character but good value at £5.69 in Waitrose.

Then all you need is a roaring hearth, rib-sticking food, some good company, six inches of fresh snow, a blizzard outside and nowhere to go! Bring on winter… I’d be delighted to find any of these six wines in my cellar!