Cabbage soup. One of the dominant memories of my trip to Portugal in 2005 was the omnipresent cabbage soup, presented to us wherever we went for dinner. This could range from a light, Japenese style broth, not unlike Miso soup, right through to what could easily be described as a thin stew. The other dominant memory was falling in love with the country’s food and wine, but since that trip, I’ve not had the opportunity to taste Portuguese wines en masse. Fortunately though, Vini Portugal made that possible today, holding a tasting of Jamie Goode’s 50 Great Portuguese Wines in the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh. Goode was the 2008 Portuguese Journalist of the Year and these fifty wines were chosen by him, not because they were great value for money, but because they showed the best that Portugal can offer and how diverse it can be. Excellent, an afternoon of icon wines!
Vinho Verde
2007 Giro Sol
Made from the Loureiro grape, and made by Quinta do Soalheiro and Dirk Niepoort, this wine had a nice nose of lime, a touch of clay springing out of somethere, but very lightly. There are hints of honey and more citrus on this long, lingering finish. Very nice. 8/10
2007 Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas Colheita
I have loved the wines from Soalheiro since my trip four years ago and am a big fan of their basic Alvarinho. This, their top wine, is full on honey, lime and a rich pear aroma. There is more pear on the palate and some pencil shavings on the finish. 8.5/10
2007 Alvarinho Anselmo Mendes
A rich, dirty aroma. Nice aromas of cedar and dried tropical fruit, but a touch of heat on the palate, followed up by mango skin and pineapple. Nice but I’d stick with the Soalheiro. 8/10
2006 Reguengo de Melgaco
Another Alvarinho, and you get a funky lime aroma, and I’m not referring to a good, Cool and the gang type of funk. The palate is a bit unbalanced, with slightly over ripe fruit. I got cardboard on the finish too. Not my thing. 6/10
2007 Afros
The Vinhao grape is a red fleshed grape which shows in the wonderful colour. Jamie Goode says “It’s an extreme taste… (and has) rough edges, but so do many interesting people.” Couldn’t agree more as the first aroma I got was warm hoover bag! Quite dusty with cherries and a little bit of blackcurrant. The palate is rich, lots of juicy cherry and raspberries. There is a hint of bubblegum (residual from the last wine?!) with a nice spice on the finish. I like this. 8/10
Minho
2007 Quinta do Ameal Escolha
Again a Loureiro and it reminded me of a Riesling, with lime and some petrol. The palate was full, quite creamy with nice fruit, good balance of peppery cedar. 7.5/10
2005 Covela Escolha
A Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Franc, Merlot blend. Now biodynamic, this wine has a bit of bubblegum on the nose, some cherry and leather and a touch of pepper. It is a bit thin on the palate, which isn’t a bad thing, with a stoney flavour and a long, dry, leathery finish. I think this can improve, but not bad now, if it wasn’t for that bubblegum element that put me off at the start. 7/10
Tras-os-Montes
2005 Valle Pradinhos Reserva
Entirely Cabernet Sauvignon, this has nice, rich, raspberries with some sage coming through. Lean fruit, a good dollop of spice with a leather coated veggie backbone. I’m a big fan. 8/10
Douro
2007 Conceito Bastardo
Weird as hell. With a label that looked like a person taken over by an alien in Doctor Who, the Bastardo grape doesn’t have much colour. It looked like a light rose, but what you got was full on herbaceous raspberries and a hint of orange. The palate was the same, a bit of cherry bubblegum and orange touches again, with hot, spicy flavours. It gets a bit sickly after a few mouthfuls. Commercially, label excepted, it is dead in the water. As an experience it is great if not a brilliant wine! 6/10
2006 Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional
A rich, cherry fest. Lots of fairly sweet chocolate too. The palate is nice, clean with lovely dark, leathery flavours. A bit of spice and pepper but too leathery on the finish. 7/10
2006 Quinta do Vale D. Maria
From an old vineyard, with old vines that have probably been breeding amongst themselves for umpteen decades, this is a rich, sweet wine with nice chocolate and berry flavours. There is a lot of heat on the palate, some firm tannin, but then the finish lets it down by being a bit weak. 6/10
2006 Quinta do Crasto Vinha Maria Teresa
Polished and perfumed, rosemary and a meaty aroma. The palate has sweet elements, lots of tannin and nice earthy elements. Then the sweetness comes back in with an abundance and it put me off. I judged it harshly at 5/10, with hindsight, I’d probably give it 6.5/10
2005 Quinta do Vale Meao
Good, earthy fruit, a lot of cherry and plums. Nice long palate, with firm tannin and outstanding balance, weight and fruit. 9/10
2005 Poeira
Lavender and lots of herbs mixing with a cherry sweetness. Hints of chocolate and leather, nice balance and with coffee on the finish. Very nice. 8.5/10
2005 Quinta da Romaneira
Outstandingly gentle with nice, raspberry and light brambles. There is a good balance of it’s constituent parts, very elegant with cherry stones on the finish. 8.5/10
2005 Quinta de S. Jose
Funky. Lots of dark, stewed and raisin fruit. A lot of dark liquorice and chocolate with cocoa powder on the finish. Nice but it lacks something on the end. 7/10
2005 Quinta de la Rosa Vale do Inferno
A rich, stewed dark aroma. Lots of damson jam. The palate is heavy, tannic, dark with lots of coffee and chocolate. Not bad at all! 8/10
2007 Duorum Colheita
Just dull, uninspiring. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, made well, just doesn’t give me any form of passion, positive or negative. 6/10
2005 Quinta do Noval
Rich, round with dark berries. The palate has a wallop of alcohol, loads of tannin, leather and spices. Then the booze kicks in with fresh mint and leather. Dark and brooding. 8.5/10
2005 Pintas
Minty, herby with lots of rich, sweet fruit. The palate is clean, lots of brambles and chocolate with herbs mixed in. Firm tannin, lots of mint mocha on the finish. Very nice. 9/10
2005 Quinta da Gaivosa Vinha de Lordelo
Good light fruit, raspberries and brambles. The palate is balanced, clean with loads of chocolate and toffee sweetness. A good long leathery finish. Nice. 8.5/10
2005 Duas Quintas Reserva Colheita
Coffee spilled on a suede jacket! Nice and full on, but the palate is a bit weak and needs more fruit to balance that dominant coffee flavour. 7/10
2004 Niepoort Robustus
Big mint aromas and mocha. Then juicy fruit and nice veggies with coffee come leap up your nose. The palate is very well balanced, good, long graceful evolution of flavours, coffee again and a long lasting bramble flavour with blackcurrant. Good. 8.5/10
2000 Casa Fereirinha Barca Velha
Rich, sweet aroma, lots of coffee, chocolate and cherry. There is mint, lots of coffee with mature tannin. A very tasty raspberry flavour with some stalk elements too. 9/10
Dao
2005 Quinta da Pellada
Lots of veggies, cabbage being dominant. Then we got the aroma of a fridge that needs cleaned! It is a bit thin, quite insipid finish. Nope, not keen. 5/10
2005 Pape
A blend of Touriga Nacional and Baga, this is a nice, earthy wine with vegetal aromas. Bramble stalk comes along before a palate of stony, cherry stone and wild raspberry. Very clean with a lovely finish. 8/10
2005 Quinta do Perdigao Touriga Nacional
Herby meat aromas, lots of black cherry and blackcurrant. Smoky barbecued pork sausage on the palate, mixed with chocolate and a hint of balsamic. Very nice. 8.5/10
2005 Quinta da Vegia Reserva
A sweet aroma with blueberries and cherry. Good clean fruit with cocoa and Bolivar cigars. There is too much alcohol though on the palate with a bitter finish. 6/10
2005 Flor das Maias
An initial sweetness, quite like espresso with bundles of brown sugar in, then hints of mocha and a touch of caramelised onion. The palate is nice, hints of leather, a bit too much alcohol and firm tannin. It calms down however and with some food, the alcohol will be masked. Nice. 8.5/10
2004 Cabriz Escolha
Sweet chocolate and lots of dried fruit steeped in booze! A bit too tannic, and very very big. 7/10
2005 Vinha do Contador
Lots of menthol, lots of cherry – I would say cherry tunes but that does it a disservice. A bundle of fruit and pipe tobacco, very tannic but it is delivered well. Needs time to settle down. 7/10
Beiras
2005 Quinta do Ribeirinho Pe Franco
Very nice, soft, juicy fruit. All raspberries and menthol. The palate is lovely, a bit of spice and heat, but not at all dominating. A good, clean, lighter finish. 8.5/10
2006 Lokal Silex
Rich and funky, lots of lovely sweet fruit, like warm compote. A chunky wine, lots of big flavours but very clean. I like this a lot. 8/10
2005 Quinta de Foz de Arouce
Closed nose, a lot of dark, tannic chocolate and lots of spice. Just too full on. 6.5/10
2004 Quinta do Cardo, Seleccao do Enologo
A dark, rich wine, lots of moist cigar and leather. Needs more fruit. 7/10
2002 Quinta dos Currais Reserva
This is like sticking your head in a humador and then pouring dark chocolate all over you. Until you put it in your mouth. You expect so much dark tobacco and sweetness but all you get is a thin, pretty watery palate. Not good. 5/10
Bairrada
2005 Quinta das Bageiras Garrafeira
Cherry, chocolate and lots of stalky berries. The palate is quite tannic, very dry and tight. You have to search for the fruit a bit, and you find redcurrants dominated with booze and spice. Too young, but will be great. 8/10
Estremadura
2005 Quinta de San’Ana Reserva
A lot of rich coffee, tobacco, sweet fruit and loads of spice. A sweet modern wine. A bit of a hussy! 7/10
2006 Quinta do Rocio
A lot of veggies, a bit of wild raspberries. Good, leathery flavour, well balanced and well made. 8.5/10
Ribatejo
2006 Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima Alfrocheiro
Bubblegum, some strawberries but nothing much else. The palate is ok, but thin. Needs some structure, all up front fresh fruit, but then just dribbles away to nothing. 6/10
Terras do Sado
2005 Adega de Pegoes Cinquentenario
Lots of toffee and chocolate. A sweet aroma with nice spice and a green leafy backbone. Lacks a little, well, oomph! Something to make it stand out and say “I’m brilliant”. 7/10
2004 S de Soberanas
Rich, nutty with lots of green pepper and black cherries and liquorice. Some spice, black pepper and very dark. This is tasty. 9/10
2005 Herdade de Comporta Aragonez/Alicante Bouschet
Good fruit, damson and plum skin. A lot of nice sweet tobacco aromas, a long palate with a good balance of fruit and secondary flavours of leather and tobacco box. 8/10
2005 Palacio da Bacalhoa
All cherry and green pepper, but that is hardly surprising from a Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot blend. More veggies than a vegan dinner, but just not balanced. Needs more oak!!! 7/10
Alentejo
2004 Marias da Malhadinha
Wow! Good aroma, lots of cherry and nice clean bramble aromas. The palate has a lot of tobacco, masses of dark spice, aniseed. Good but needs some more time. 9/10
2006 Antonio Maria
Green pepper up front, lots of sour cherry. A very creamy texture, chocolate and leather and then a dusting of cocoa and mint. I want lamb with this, and I want it now! Very nice. 9.5/10
2005 Dona Maria Reserva
Quite closed, dark tobacco, lots of coffee and coconut husk. Leather, some liquorice on the finish. It just lacks a little in fruit. 7/10
2007 Herdade dos Grous ‘Moon Harvested’
Light and vegetal, a bit of cherry, lots of raspberries, lots of leather. A bit thin, and then an unbalanced finish. 6/10
2002 Mouchao
Perfumy, nice fruit, a lot of cherry and sweet strawberries. Palate has chewy tannin some noticeable alcohol, with a gutsy, dry finish. Hot. 7.5/10
2005 Preta
Blackcurrants, some sweeter fruit too, very leathery with nice tannin. A soft palate, good balance and a chocolate mint (it reminded me of After Eights!) on the finish. Very nice. 8/10
You'll notice that I'm quite harsh on a few of these wines, and I'm glad that I found that I didn't like some the wines that Goode picked as the best, as this is the point of tasting wine; making your own mind up. Portugal though, does produce outstanding wines, with a lot of diversity and interesting styles. Do try their wines, particularly with heartier foods or barbecues as they offer a delightful alternative to the better known countries of Europe. A lot of these wines are not available in the UK or are quite expensive, so try cheaper alternatives. Portugal is so much more than Mateus. And cabbage soup.
Jamie Goode Website
Vini Portugal Website
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