Portugal
Portugal
Still that poor country on the Atlantic edge of Europe, having been hampered by decades of isolation and dictatorship, Portugal is finally getting that wine thang right. Partly a question of marketing - now very successful - and partly one of self confidence and investment - definitely getting there, Portuguese wine is better and more available than ever. From the north to the south our oldest ally is discovering its native grape varieties and making intense, delightful wines with them. Plenty to reward exploration here.
- Vinho Verde & the MinhoA great source of misunderstood wines, particularly useful during Cornish sardine season. Light, fresh reds and whites accompany oily fish and Atlantic sunsets perfectly. (CW 23/01/12)
- DouroThere`s gold in them thar hills, but for reasons of fashion it`s not the same gold it used to be. The Douro is all about Port, but consumption of fortified wines in general is dropping despite the moral panic over alcohol consumption engendered by over paid 12 year old GPs with their enormous pension pots. So with the drop in Port drinking, producers have turned their hands and their very high quality grape varieties to making superb table wines using grapes like Touriga Nacional and Tempranillo. (CW 23/01/12)
- BairradaHome to and exponent of the Baga grape, which makes dark coloured wine that ages very well for years. Indeed, you might argue that the wines need ageing for years before they are remotely drinkable. There has been some introduction of grapes like Cabernet to soften and enrich the Baga wines, but it does pretty well on its own, thank you. (CW 23/01/12)