As the pandemic restrictions are slowly easing I have been approached to dust off my wine presentation skills and share with some old friends the flavours of Portugal, in a few weeks' time. With that in mind I trundled down the hill to the ever reliable M&S and chose this week's wine by way of revision.
Portugal offers a great variety of grapes, many of which are not found in many other places and some of which are even if it is under different names, and an equally great variety of regions, climates and styles.
To start with the grapes. There are loads of them and in this bottle alone we have six of them. The variety representing the smallest proportion in terms of percentage of volume is is Syrah (5%), not an Portuguese speciality. As I have commented before, I can't be certain that it is necessary but accept the winemaker thinks it is.
We have Touriga Nacional also at 5%, a heavy weight Port grape that is both fruity and tannic with complex aromas of cherries, bergamot (I love Earl Grey, don't you?) and a pinch of pepper.
Moving up the percentages we have Touriga Franca (10%). Less heavy with floral characteristics and good colour, followed by the wonderfully named Alicante Bouschet (15%). This is one of the rarer 'teinturier' grapes, meaning that, unusually, the flesh of the fruit is not clear but coloured red. It is a crossing between Petit Bouschet and the ubiquitous Granache.
Next up: Tinta Roriz (15%), better known to the world as Tempranillo, one of the great Spanish varieties and a stalwart of many wines from Rioja to Ribeira del Duero which is the river that becomes the Douro when it crosses the border into Portugal becoming as it does so the home of Port wine.
Finally we have the two predominant varieties at 25% each, Castelao, also known as Periquita bringing raspberry and a hint of tar when aged, and Caladoc. This last grape is a French crossing of Grenache and Malbec.
This lovely little lot have been fermented, blended and stored in French and American oak for six months before bein bottled and sent to a supermarket near you. I has 13.5% abv and is packed with flavour.
The first thing you notice when pouring a glass is that it is inky-black and only reveals any deep red colours when the glass is tilted to let some light into its lighter rim. Then, on tasting, it is dark fruit, full-bodied mouth-feel and tannin. It is not a summer afternoon wine unless you are washing down a hefty bar-be-que and intend to have a nap before dessert. The flavours are quite complex and there is something pleasantly unusual about it. I hope that means it represents some of the individuality of Portuguese wines, drawn out by the eclectic blend chosen by the maker and not just that I shouldn't have tasted it after eating a chicken donner with garlic mayonnaise.
Buy again? Yes. Probably to share as part of my selection for later this year, but definitely for my own pleasure. It is a bargain.
This is an excellent wine !!!!
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