Portuguese wine can be exciting, but difficult to understand, and the purpose of our tasting this evening was to find a key to unlock the door.

Apart from Port and Mateus Rose, few people have much experience of table wine from a country that boasts some 341 grape varieties, many exclusively indigenous to Portugal.

Located on the western margins of the Iberian Peninsula, the country has been remote and inward-looking, particularly prior to joining the EU in 1986.  The reds were chewy, leathery and astringent, and the whites either excessively green and acidic or flabby and oxidised.

EU membership has conferred many benefits notwithstanding a modern infrastructure and the creation of a new middle-class demanding better winemaking standards.

There are 3 ways to approach modern Portuguese table wine, and the main guidelines are:

1.          Classification
The classification of Portuguese wines is based on the French model, with 32 DOCs, equivalent to Appellation Controllee (AOC) and 9 IPRs, second-tier AOCs in-waiting.  The advice is to ignore the top tier, with the exception of the Douro, where very fine wines are now being produced, and to a lesser extent, Dao (which should be better) and Vinho Verde.

Concentrate instead on the VRs – Vinhos Regional, the French Vins de Pays or Country Wine equivalent.  These tend to be more fruit-driven, and in tune with the international palate.

The leader is Alentejo, perhaps the most New World in style, with good-value examples available from Ribatejo and Estremadura, between £5 and £7.

2.       The Grape Variety
Personally, Portugal is best as a red wine country, and the principal native varieties are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Trincadeira,  Castelao and Tinta Roriz/Aragones (Tempranillo).  These may be blended for complexity, but sometimes international varieties, particularly Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, are added to assist with structure and balance.

By and large, the whites are fairly anonymous.  The classic from the north-west is the lime-fruited Alvarinho, often used as part of a blend in Vinho Verde.  It’s known in neighbouring Galicia to the north, as Albarino, where it is used in the Spanish classic, Rias Baixas.  Other whites are Maria Gomes/Fernao Pires, Rabo de Ovelha (Sheeps Tail) and Roupeiro.  The general characteristic of these lesser varieties is lemon-citrus.

3.       The Producer
The most important factor in searching out a palatable wine is locating a reliable producer.  In particular, Joao Portugal Ramos (JPR Wines), David Baverstock (Esperao) and Jose Neiva (DFJ Vinhos).  Sogrape, best known for Mateus Rose, a one-time favour of Saddam Hussein, are  diversifying, and investing heavily to produce some excellent good-value wines in Vinho Verde, Dao and Alentejo.

With regard to the DOC Douro, generally the wines that make it into the UK market are fairly reliable as, for the most post, they’re produced by leading Port houses.

THE WINES
1.          Quinta de Simaens 2004 Vinho Verde (Waitrose £5.49)
Vinho Verde means “green wine” but can be red or white.  The term represents wines that are young and fresh, and ideal with local seafood, as they are generally fairly acidic.

In the past, the wines were “sweetened” for the  UK market, but the style is dry with a slight prickle of carbon dioxide bubbles, which adds freshness.  This single estate wine is a blend, and I suspect it may include some Alvarinho.  It had crisp, green-apple and lime flavours, with a bit of a spritz.  Very clean, but just short on finish.
(CHP 15, Bin Ends 5 votes)

2.       Monte Velho Branco 2004 Alentejo (Wine Society £4.95)
Surprisingly, the traditional view of Alentejo, with a hot dry climate, was that it was white-wine country and not red.  Made by leading winery Esperao, this was richer and fuller, with flavours of lemon citrus and spice.  (CHP 16, Bin Ends 0 votes).

3.          Periquita 2002 JM de Fonseca VR Terra do Sado (Waitrose £4.99)
From the Setubal peninsula, just south of Lisbon, Periquita (“little parrot”) is a trademark for Castelao, which here is blended with Trincadeira and Aragonez.  It’s a more traditional style, tasting of juicy cherry and raspberry fruit, with peppery tannins.  Personally, it lacked fruit and body.  (CHP 14, Bin Ends 2 votes).

4.       Manta Preta Touriga Nacional/Tinta Roriz 2004 DFJ Vinhos Estremadura
                                                                                      (£5.99 Waitrose)
The highly-prized Touriga Nacional gives small yields, but the small tough-skinned berries produce a wine rich in colour and tannin.  This had tarry concentrated, sweet, black fruit, particularly blackberries, with firm tannins and a chewy long finish.  (CHP 16, Bin Ends 2 votes)

5.          Chamine 2004 Cortes de Cima Alentejo (Waitrose £6.99)
Alentejo has led the way with Portugal’s wine revolution, particularly with fruit-filled New World red styles.  Owned by a Danish-American husband-and-wife team, Hans & Carrie Jorgensen, this is a particularly easy-drinking style from  Aragonez and Shiraz.  It has flavours of juicy, ripe cherries and blackberries, supported with spice.  A soft, easy-drinking wine with a slight chocolate powder finish (CHP 16+, Bin Ends 9 votes)

6.          Trincadeira 2004 JP Ramos Alentejo (Waitrose £6.99)
Made by one of Portugal’s superstars, in the modern style, using native varieties.  This wine reveals the Ramos trademark character, with juicy black cherry fruit and spice, support by ripe tannins and followed by a smooth, peppery finish.  It has good balance, and a touch more backbone and complexity than the Chamine. (CHP 17, Bin Ends 1 vote)

7.       Dao Reserva 2000 Sogrape (£7.95 The Wine Society)
By reputation, Dao has been Portugal’s leading red wine region, but quality was compromised by restrictive practices, outlawed by the EU in 1990.  Over a 40 year period, all grapes had to be sourced from the co-operatives, and the quality of fruit was rarely of a good level.

Sogrape have been at the forefront of leading the charge to improve standards, and Touriga Nacional is the primary grape in this oak-aged blend.  It has smoky black spicy fruit, with a smooth texture and firm ripe tannins, subsiding to a silky finish.  (CHP 17, Bin Ends 8 votes)

8.          Quinta do Crasto 2003 Douro (£6.95 The Wine Society)
An old family estate that, as recently as 1994, has started to bottle wine under its own label.  As well as table wine, the Quinta also produces Port.

A fresh-tasting mix of red and black cherries, spiced up with subtle oak.  After the tannins have subsided, it has a pleasing finish (CHP 17, Bin Ends 10 votes).

9.          Quinta do Roriz Reserva 2001 Douro (£9.95 The Wine Society)
The result of a collaboration between the owner, John Van Zeller and the Symington Port family.  This is from Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca, with marked oak treatment.  There is fresh cherry and blackberry fruit, infused with spices.  It has a good middle palate, as it develops richness.  The tannins are ripe, but the finish is a touch too oaky for my palate.  (CHP 17, Bin Ends 15 votes)

The tasting endorsed the popularity of the modern fruit-driven reds, and a resounding vote of confidence went to the Douro.

Please note my website link:
www.clives-wines.com