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.