Vin Greco's weekend wine: Portugal

Vin Greco is well known locally for his wine expertise.

His interest in wine has been life-long.

Currently he conducts tastings, formal or informal, upon request, and twice a year partners in a tasting with Chef Ian Thomlinson Upstairs at Rome’s.

This week Vin explores wines from Portugal and drops a reminder about an upcoming wine tasting event in town, not to be missed.

While many are familiar with the wines of France and Italy, and even Spain, we don’t pay too much attention to Portugal; yet, in addition to being home to Port, perhaps the world’s greatest fortified wine, Portugal also produces really respectable table wines.

Portugal lies along the Atlantic coast south of France and runs the length of Spain’s western flank.

From north to south there are pockets of wine producing regions.

Southern Europe is home to hundreds of grape varieties, but the most well-known are associated with France – Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot noir, for instance.

In the last 50 years, there has been a tendency in many countries to import those varieties and incorporate them into their blends. 

In Italy, for example, we find Cabernet Sauvignon combined with Sangiovese in the “Super-Tuscan wines. 

This practice has come at a cost, as many indigenous or “home-grown” varietals have been pushed to the side or eliminated altogether. 

In Portugal, there wasn’t the same push, and so its wines tend to showcase native Portuguese grapes. 

The Salazar dictatorship probably had something to do with this, as it created big wine co-operatives that discouraged private enterprise and at the same time often showed little interest in producing anything other than plonk.

Entry into the European Union has changed that, and now we are seeing a clear revival in the production of wines of decent quality, and better. Many quintas or wine estates have opened or revived, and some of the big co-operatives have taken a new lease on life, concentrating on better wines. 

Red wine seems to predominate, and that is reflected in the LCBO where there are just a handful of whites available out of over 250 products listed. 

With white wine, Portugal is best known for Vinho Verde, produced in the very top northern section of the country.

Vinho Verde, usually made from a blend of grapes, each contributing different characteristics, is a very refreshing, quite acidic wine with a naturally occurring but light carbonation which gives it some thirst-quenching zip. 

It is a great wine for summer, but also useful with food that might have oily or fatty elements.

On our shelves, Gazela, $8.95, is a good, simple example with some melon and lime notes.  

The Alianca Vinho Verde, also $8.95, made from the aromatic Alvarinho grape, is considered to be lightly sweet with some lemon zest according to the Wine enthusiast’s Roger Voss.

The best examples available locally are in Vintages.  

The Varanda do Conde 2011 and the Quinta da Lixa Pouco Comum 2011 are both $14.95. 

Both are primarily Alvarinho, which some believe is related to Riesling. 

It is more aromatic than other Vinho Verdes, and has some tropical notes. 

The former also contains some Trajadura, which has the effect of lowering the acidity a little and providing some stone fruit characteristics – think peach or apricot.

The Loios White, $8.95, is one white wine from a more southerly region, produced in the Alentejo area just north of the Algarve and on the Spanish border. 

The grapes here are Roupeiro, which has some honeyed qualities and the Rabo de Ovelha (“ewe’s tail” –a reference to the shape of the bunch rather than the flavour, I hope) which brings acidity and some herbal/floral notes to the mix.

Monte Da Cal Quartetto, 2008, $8.95, is a red from the same region. 

As with many inexpensive Portuguese reds, they suggest serving it with grilled sausage, etc. 

WineAlign’s Steve Thurlow describes it as round, juicy and well-balanced with smoke and blackberry jam on the nose.

He suggests chilling it slightly before drinking.

On the April 13 Vintages release, another Alentejo red, Monte Vilar Reserva 2011, $14.95, is entirely traditional and won gold with its 2008 vintage. 

It could even cellar for a few years.

From the area around Lisbon we have two silver medal winners Passion of Portugal 2011, $8.05, uses Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo in Spain) and Tinta Barocca, a grape rich in sugars and plum/cherry qualities. 

It also introduces some of Burgundy’s Pinot Noir.  This works well with Italian dishes.

 Pedras do Monte 2010, $10.45, is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Tinta Roriz. 

It’s a great value, even if, like other southern wines, it brings in ‘non-native’ grapes.

From the Setubal Peninsula joined by bridges to Lisbon we have the Bacalhôa JPRed, $8.95.

In addition to native grapes, it has some Syrah. 

You should find some heft here, good depth and interesting flavours, including cedar or sandalwood.

The same producer’s Tinto da Anfora, 2010, $11.95, uses totally different grapes and is described in Toronto Life as “complex” and “vibrant”.

Inland from the Vinho Verde area is the Douro, the rugged, mountainous region bordering the Douro river from where it enters Portugal from Spain – there it’s the Duero – and following it down 90 kilometres to the city of Porto.

The vines are often planted on stone-walled terraces that are recognized as a Unesco Heritage site. 

The same grapes that are used to create Port, a topic for another column, are also being crafted into distinctive table wines.

 The cornerstone is Touriga Nacional, considered to be Portugal’s greatest grape. 

It has terrific structure, and intense dark berry flavours, along with the suggestion of anise.

Vila Regia 2011, $7.95, is an exceptional value – vibrant with dark fruit and fine tannins. 

It should be served cool, but would be very good with chicken.

Coming to Vintages is the Lua Nova Em Vinhas Velhas 2010, $14.95, a powerful and deep old vine red begging for cellaring. The Wine Enthusiast gave it a 91.

Another noted region is Dão, just below the Vinho Verde and nestled between mountain ranges among pine forests.  Sogrape’s Grao Vasco Dao, $7.95, is an oldtimer on the LCBO’s lists. 

It has some elegance, along with earthy and fruity notes. 

The Jaen grape is noted for its peppery nose and lively fruit flavour.

In Vintages, the Castelo de Azurara Reserva 2010, $14.95 is in the full-bodied and firm category. 

The Panel remarks on “plum, spice, menthol, fig and mulberry” in its aroma profile, which seems distinctive to me!

Bairrada lies between the Dao and the Atlantic and is influenced by the mild maritime climate and lots of rain. 

Most of the vineyards are on more level ground. B

aga is the mainstay grape, a good grape for aging, with high tannins and acidity and good fruit colour and aroma.

Alianca Bairrada Tinto Reserva 2011 is $8.85.  Like many of these reds it has spice and earthiness, and would be a good companion to grilled meats.

Vintages lists another Bairrada, 03 Encontro 1. It retails for $173.55…but there’s none in the Sault. 

All in all, we don’t see many pricey Portuguese table wines, but they are out there. 

Still, with all the bargains Portugal provides for us, it’s a country worth exploring.

Switching gears, coming to the LCBO from Vincor are Bodacious Red and Bodacious White, both $10.95. 

They are clean and decent, with the emphasis on fruit. 

For some palates they will be a touch sweet and lack complexity. 

Still, for the target market, the new generation of wine drinkers, they will be perfect and should do well.

The Art Gallery of Algoma is hosting a tasting of French wines on Friday, April 19. 

We will be pouring a good cross-section of wines, accompanied by French dishes prepared by Marjorie Butterfield. 

Cost is $50, which includes a charitable receipt. 

Phone 949-9067 to reserve. 

The last tasting sold out, so book soon and don’t be disappointed.

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