alentejo

PORTUGAL FOR THE PEOPLE

Portugal in general is still a work in progress as far as quality. It is substantially better than it was a couple of decades ago and we are finding a few things to get excited about. We have sold our share of highly-rated, high-priced elite dry reds from ambitious projects in the Douro, and we understand that is where many vintners feel they need to be to get respect in the international markets. But there are a lot of big reds with big scores vying to get attention from all over the wine world, so are such Portuguese versions really making a contribution to broadening the selection?

Over time, our biggest knock on Portuguese wines has been winemaking. You’ve got sunshine, a hospitable climate, but far too many things we see suffer from over-cropping and marginal vinification. Again, things are way better than they used to be and there is an overall rise in quality. But to us, the most enjoyable finds from Portugal are the ones that taste, well, Portuguese.

In a place where most of the wines are varietal blends, there is a definitely spicy, expressive character that is evident in the best examples of the reds. ‘International styling’, which some Portuguese producers are shooting for, means to us that they are dumbing down some of the joyous character that the most compelling Portuguese reds have to conform to a perceived style target.

We much prefer the boisterous, spicy, almost wild fruit components that distinguish the great little Portuguese wines from the rank and file, more commercial styles. We are pretty selective about what we present but we found another little nugget to add to our short list.

The Duquesa Maria Alentejo Superior 2017 hails from one of the southernmost growing regions in Portugal. As is the custom, this is a blend of 40% Aragonez (what they call Tempranillo in this part of the country), 30% Alicante Bouschet, 20% Touriga Nacional and 10% Trincadeira grown here in limestone soils.

It’s quite warm here so ripeness is not usually a problem. The grapes are destemmed and then see a couple of days of cold-soaking before being fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel after which about half of the juice goes into used French and American oak for six months.

The color is dark and fairly saturated (something that can be attributed in part to the Alicante Bouchet), there’s a rush of sweet, honest dark cherry and plum fruit with some spice, earth, and mineral flecks. Direct and easy-going, yet with a certain flair that is very Portuguese, this is that candidate for grillin’ and quaffin’. There is ample weight to stand up to a variety of foods but there is that breezy flavor interest that shows what Portugal seems to be able to do with ease. It isn’t necessarily meant to be ‘contemplated’ but rather consumed with a certain relish and it performs well for a pretty low fare.

MORE VALUE ‘TINTOS’ FROM PORTUGAL

Portugal has had some bright moments in this market over the years. There was a period in the early 70s where the fizzy rosés in funny bottles were all the rage. In the 90s, there was flash popularity with certain casual reds, in particular ‘periquitas’ from Jose Maria da Fonseca. Later on we did a lot with the emerging series of gutsy, well priced dry reds from Portuguese Port houses starting with Quinta do Crasto. We have recently had some good runs with crisp, easy vinho verdes.

But while a number of Portuguese wines have had their day, there hasn’t been any consistency to the category in terms of consumer demand. Still, while Portugal has yet to reach the kind of market saturation the quality and value of the genre in general should merit, we still keep finding remarkably expressive, well made, well priced individual efforts that not only should find fans but eventually elevate the category as a whole. Here are a couple of recent finds from a new importer that has taken the challenge of nudging Portugal into the mainstream.

The Quinta Dos Capuchos comes from an area northwest of Lisbon. Long and narrow running along the Atlantic Ocean, there is plenty of wind to mediate the temperature and in some vintages it is maybe a little too cool. This producer is situated in an area that is a little further inland and protected by hills and mountains. Grapes do well here and traditional winemaking here dates back centuries, orchestrated by monks initially ‘Capuchos’ is Portuguese for ‘Capucins’).

The soils are clay and limestone, with plenty of dense stone, on slopes no less. That makes working the vineyard a bit of a chore. But this unique microclimate delivers a ripe juicy character-filled red made from Castelao, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Syrah. The grapes are hand-harvested and then fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel. A non-vintage blend, this is plush, punchy, and packed with lively dark red fruits and flavors that remind one of grenadine with a little pepper and spice. Ample and surprisingly versatile, this is a fruit-driven, easy drinker at a great price. Portugal is really good at producing engaging reds at almost silly low prices provided you can find the right ones. This one got our attention.

The same tasting presented us with a rather juicy example of 100% Touriga Nacional from Alentejo on the eastern side of the country. This particular spot in upper Alentejo was abandoned for a period of time. But, the pristine beauty of this remote region lured the Atunes family to revive the estate in 2001. The Herdade do Arrepiado Touriga 2016 has a lot of the character of some of the big time (read that expensive) Touriga-dominant reserve blends from the Douro. But it doesn’t show wood notes nor the price. This reminds us a lot of some of those early, bold Douro dry reds we loved back some two decades ago.

Lots of urgent red berry, red plum, spice, and floral notes, a touch of vanilla, this is a plush, fruit-forward wine with plenty of character but the kind of lift and freshness that gives it a feel of sophistication. Again, this is a lot of wine for the money and versatile with a wide range of foods. For a lot of reasons, critics will not likely pay a lot of attention to these wines, or the category. But consumers definitely should.

SERIOUS VALUE RED? JUST SAY SUL

We spoken over the years about the South African enigma and why, after all this time, does the category only move when there is some promotion. It seems any kind of continuous market traction is fleeting. We realized the same could be said about Portugal to some extent. Sure, in the 60s and 70s everyone was drinking fizzy rosés, then there was Periquita, followed by dry Duoros sometime later. But, other than the tried and true dessert areas of Port and Madeira, there seems to be little lasting interest.

There are the occasional hits. We have done well with certain Vinho Verdes and upscale versions like those from Soalheiro. They sell and people like them. But in the end people don’t come in and ask where the Portuguese section is. Granted, historically, overall quality has been, um, sporadic. Unfamiliar varietals and regions don’t make it any easier. The Portuguese government has gotten involved in raising the quality levels overall, and the ‘hit’ ratio has definitely increased. But the prices of some of the potential ‘game changers’ severely limits their potential audience. With all due respect to Bruno Prats, wines like an $80 Chryseia aren’t likely to get a lot of new wine drinkers to take a flyer on it for the sake of learning.

For our part, the door is always open. Bring us your Alentejos, Daos, Bairradas and dry Douros and, if they excite, we will deliver the message. Touriga Nacional, Tinto Roriz, Sausao, Baga, Trincadeira,are not household names, but they can make compelling wine under the right circumstances. To carry the message, there needs to be something that those people will want to give a whirl. Something that is character-filled, delicious, and laughably inexpensive has a much better chance of turning heads towards Portugal. We have found one of those.

Heredade de Sao Miguel is owned by the Relvas family who purchased it in 1997. It is located in Alentejo, an appellation southeast of Lisbon almost to the Spanish border, and within the subregion of Redondo at the northeastern end of the appellation. The estate it self covers 175 hectares, 35 of which are planted to vines setting soils of loam and schist, with 97h/a planted to cork trees. They also dedicated part of the property to reviving and breeding of near extinct local species, the ‘Mirandela’ donkey and the ‘Garrano’ horses of Gerês.

The story isn’t complicated. The family farms sustainably and makes the wine in an efficient ‘minimalist’ facility they built in the middle of the vineyard. They state that all of the fruit in Sul (Portuguese for ‘south’) comes from the estate. These folks are all about the land and their aim with all of their wines (they make 10 different bottlings) is to showcase the unique terroir of this far-from-the-crowd region. We were presented with a number of their wines a few weeks back. We kept coming back to this one for its plush texture, unabashed purity, and honest flavors. We asked the question, “how much did you say this was?” more than once.

If there are wines that can carry the banner for Portugal and make a lasting impression, this is certainly one of them. The blend here is 50 % Aragonez (the local name for Tempranillo), 30% Alicante Bouschet, 15% Trincadeira (indigenous varietal also known as Tinta Amarela in the Douro…yeah this part can get a little complicated), and 5% good old Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is cold-soaked then vacuum pressed and fermented in stainless steel where it sees some exposure to staves plus 10% in 400L barrels. Sure we can do the geek-speak, but that is not the story here.

The unfettered juice is the star, and the Herdad de Sao Miguel delivers well above its station with a mouthful of dark red fruit tinged with spice and dusty notes, relatively low acidity and modest ripe tannins. The pleasing mid-palate lots of inviting fruit and it’s very Portuguese in that it’s a delicious wine on the table alongside some grilled meats and some lively conversation. In short order, you’ll wonder where that bottle went and, at $10, there are few financial consequences. It’s a fine ambassador for Alentejo, and Portugal, and a great choice for a go-to value ‘house red’ without qualification.