Portuguese Wines

In Portugal we have a focused range around the Douro valley and the Alentejo. Quinta Vale de Maria & Quinta Aciprestes have developed quite a following as have the wines of Monte da Peceguina and Herdade do Esporao in the Alentejo. Of course Portugal is not all about tinto. We are big fans of the brancos as well. In particular the Vinho Verde and we particularly point you towards Quinta de Soalheiro 2019.  Follows is the review from Parker on Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho 2019: 

“The 2019 Alvarinho, the so-called unoaked "classico," is dry (three grams of residual sugar and 6.9 grams of total acidity) and comes in at 12.5% alcohol. On paper, this has a somewhat crisper demeanor than the 2018. Due to more cool days in 2019 and a harvest in the first week of September, the winery said the acidity was slightly higher with lower pH, and in their opinion, that contributed to the profile of Soalheiro. Comparing this to the Granit, as always, leads you to two completely different wines. The Granit seems lighter, tenser and more energetic. It is precise and focused. This does all that too, but the balance with the fruit is different—often, I say better, but not this year. The expression of fruit here is pure Alvarinho, but the Granit is no slouch. This Classico is ripe but lifted, though. It's pretty tasty in its youth too. Like the Granit, though, this might be better next year—although this is more approachable. They both will age well, as the winery's track record in general has frequently demonstrated over the years. (I still like to stay conservative in the drinking windows. You might not think 11 years is conservative for a Vinho Verde, but here it might well be.) This looks terrific this year, and it's a typically super value”.

With this wine you will note Alvarinho is the grape variety which is of course one of the four grape varietals that are permitted in Vinho Verde. The Alavrinho of course is the same varietal as the Spanish Albarino but in Portugal is perhaps even a little more expressive. For those in search of a richer more sumptuous white from Portugal we confidently point you towards the Esporao Branco (white) Reserva or to the whites of Herdade de Grous.

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