Tagus Creek is celebrating after its ‘Tagus Creek Trincadeira’ wins the International trophy for the best red blend under £10 at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).

The DWWA judges described the wine as:

“Lovely fragrant bouquet of summer pudding and crushed berries with a peppery edge. Juicy and light in tannins with a supple, quaffable ripeness. Deliciously good value. The Portuguese variety Trincadeira blends brilliantly with international grape Shiraz to produce this brilliantly expressive red wine. It’s Silky and structured, elegant and fruity, the Tagus Creek Shiraz .”

You can pick up a bottle from Morrisons, Tesco, Booths and Waitrose, priced at approximately £5.99, it’s a bargain!

Congratulations to Adnams for sniffing out this bargain when they went to the wine conference in Oporto, Portugal, last December.

It is made by a young producer in the Alentejo, Tiago Cabaço, who specialises in his own native region of Estremoz, advised by oenologist Susana Estéban. (The wine’s official designation of origin is Vinho Regional Alentejano.) It’s massively fruity and has an interesting impact on the palate.

It tastes as though many varieties go into this smartly packaged blend and indeed the producer’s website confirms that it contains Portugal’s admirably nervy Arinto as well as Roupeiro, Antão Vaz, Verdelho and even imported Viognier. It’s fruity, really round and complex, unlike anything else I can think of, and fun.

Adnams said when they saw that this producer’s wine ranges were called .COM and .BEB, they assumed a high level of techiness but claims that when they first met Tiago, he didn’t even have a website. The key apparently is that if you add an E to the end of these two suffixes, you get respectively ‘eat’ and ‘drink’ in Portuguese. Of course!

I’d just suggest that you take advantage of this evidence of Portugal’s singularity when it comes to wine production, and enjoy the evidence that its white wines can be every bit as interesting as its reds. For the moment, Adnams seems to be the sole stockist known to wine-searcher.com. Let’s hope that changes soon, as I do think this wine should be drunk this year, ideally.

£7.50

16 Sep 2011 by Jancis Robinson

Only £95.00 for 6 bottles delivered (a saving of £15 on the full delivered price of £110)

Fareham Wine Cellar is pleased to offer, by way of introduction, a mixed 6 bottle case of Ports from Niepoort. (until the end of June)

Niepoort is a family company now in its fifth generation and presently managed by Dirk Niepoort. Despite being the second smallest shippers in the trade they are second to none in quality. Already famous for their classic tawny ports, they have now joined the ranks of the great producers of Vintage Port. Reputations take long to establish and only when there is a genuine commitment to quality throughout the company is a name made.

“Niepoort is to Vintage Port what Krug is to Champagne. They are both small houses in a world dominated by large competitors but they are producing outstanding wines which very few can match.” James Suckling, Vintage Port.

The case will contain 1 bottle of each of the following,

1 bottle Niepoort Dry White Port
Dry White is lovely if served chilled as an aperitif or as a long drink with Tonic Water, ice and a twist of lemon. “Dirk also makes the best dry white port going, with atypical elegance and freshness” Philip Williamson & David Moore, Wine Behind the Label 2005 edition.

1 bottle Niepoort Late Bottled – Vintage Port 2005
Winemaker Dirk Niepoort calls this the “Little Brother” of his Vintage Port, as the origins of the grapes and vinification methods are identical. A benchmark Late Bottled Vintage Port.

1 bottle Niepoort Senior port (Aged Tawny)
This Tawny Port is something of a bargain. It has a wonderful combination of coffee / caramel and raisin flavours and keeps excellently once opened, can be served at room temperature or slightly chilled

1 bottle Niepoort Crusted Port
A lesser known style of Port these days. This is a blend of Ports from the 2003 and 2005 Vintage. “Lovely pure, minty, floral fruit, young & strapping, with more to give. Long & fine with the character & definition of a good vintage Port.” Richard Mayson 18/20, Decanter Magazine.

1 bottle Niepoort Colheita Port 1995 (Single Vintage Tawny)
Colheitas are dated tawnies aged in cask. The minimum age requirement is 7 years, but the tradition at Niepoort is to age several more years in the casks before bottling. Sweet and nutty , aromas of dried fruits and flavours of apricots and figs on the palate.

1 bottle Niepoort Secundum – Vintage Port 2003
In 1999, Niepoort created a second style of vintage port: “Secundum Vintage”. The intention of Secundum, is the creation of an approachable Vintage that offers an immediate satisfaction yet keeping the balance to age for decades. This it he third vintage made. “Quite tarry, sweet and spicy on the nose. It’s almost showy. The palate is very sweet and spicy with a tarry, spicy structure. Lots of character here: this is already quite accessible and full of interest. Very good/excellent” 93/100, www.wineanorak.com

With domestic winemaking luminaries teaming up with proven overseas names to steer an innovative new generation, Portuguese producers have a lot to shout about. Sarah Ahmed profiles four ground-breaking collaborations…

Even five years ago, who would have believed that Vinho Verde would become one of Portugal’s sexiest wine regions? It’s just one example of how winemaking bravado wedded to viticultural excellence is unleashing the full potential of Portugal’s thrillingly diverse terroir and grape varieties.

In the first half of 2010, the value of Portuguese wine exports shot up by more than 20%; exports to the UK, where Portugal is becoming a popular specialist area in the independent retail sector, rose by almost 30%.

Winemakers Dirk Niepoort (who makes Port and still wines in the Douro) and Alvaro Castro (of Quinta de Saes and Quinta da Pellada in the Dão), are two examples of the country’s bursting sense of adventure, and have been at the vanguard of this revolution.

Niepoort points out that he and Castro are self-taught. Never limited by orthodoxy, they focused on terroir and indigenous varieties from the off, bucking the trend of ‘going more and more in a New World direction’.

They lead the pack in their respective regions and, having produced the innovative Douro-Dão blend Doda together, Niepoort has since become the master of creative collaborations, working his magic elsewhere.

It’s rubbing off. The pair’s visionary approach has influenced the next generation of trained winemakers who, widely travelled, are laying to rest Portugal’s reputation for rustic wines while showing a healthy respect for tradition. And it’s not just locals making waves: UK wine writer and Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Chair for Port & Madeira, Richard Mayson, and reputed French winemakers such as Bruno Prats and Michel Chapoutier have also invested in Portugal.

For Ronan Sayburn, Master Sommelier and wine director at the UK’s Hotel du Vin chain, ‘Pure, bright and fresh flavours seem to be the norm now’ which means that ‘Portugal’s diverse range of wines sit well on any quality wine list’. From north to south, the country is a melting pot of tradition and innovation, personified by the marriage of leading domestic producers with noted overseas names. Here are just four such examples of vibrant, modern Portugal…

Prats & Symington
With 930 hectares of the Douro to their name and the ‘glamour’ of Port behind them (Graham’s, Dow’s and Warre’s are part of the group’s portfolio), the Symington family might have been gung ho about making table wine. Not so. Paul Symington, joint managing director of Symington Family Estates says: ‘We always thought the Douro had the potential to produce great table wines, but our experience of making great reds, as opposed to Port, was limited.’

When Bordeaux veteran Bruno Prats (fresh from selling second growth Cos d’Estournel), agreed to make a super-premium table wine with them in 1998, though, the joint venture Prats & Symington was born. Conceived in the same spirit as a boutique Bordeaux château, production is small and upmarket.

Chryseia was released in 2000, followed by the second wine, Post Scriptum, first made in 2002 when fruit for Chryseia was declassified.

Prats’ chief concern, that ‘the good grapes were going to Port and the worst ones to table wines’, was allayed by ‘the Symingtons’ priceless knowledge of the Douro’. Equally, keen to avoid the ‘brute and extract’ of old-style Douro wines, Symington looked to Prats’ ‘profound knowledge of turning outstanding fruit into one of the world’s greatest wines’. Prats describes the wines as having ‘the Bordeaux touch: less power, with more focus on balance, finesse and elegance’ than other top Douro wines, with its limited influence of new French oak

Prats & Symington, Chryseia, Douro 2008
17.5pts/20
£47–£50 Berry Bros & Rudd, Tanners, The Wine Society
A restrained nose with violet, mineral and liquorice hints leads onto a plush yet balanced palate with great purity of plum, blackberry, cassis and creamy raspberry fruit, supported by suave tannins. Drink: 2011–2018. Alc: 14.1%

Quinta de Soalheiro
AntOnio Cerdeira planted the first Alvarinho vines in the Vinho Verde sub region of Melgaço in 1974. Today, his Quinta de Soalheiro is one of the foremost producers in this most northerly Portuguese wine region, as his son Luís continues the pioneering tradition which has seen their range mushroom ever since.

Keen to improve Soalheiro’s avant-garde, wooded Alvarinho Reserve, Luís Cerdeira consulted Douro winemaker Dirk Niepoort. Niepoort, who rates the grape as ‘Portugal’s best white’, jumped at the chance to get involved – ‘the phone call took less than three minutes’, he recalls. Having secured Cerdeira’s promise to make an unwooded Alvarinho ‘my way’, Niepoort met up with him shortly before vintage in August 2006.

The pair’s prodigious output since then includes a sleeker Reserve, with more integrated oak, and two new Alvarinhos. Powerfully fruited yet mineral and complex, Primeiras Vinhas is naturally fermented, partly in barrel and, crucially, comes from Soalheiro’s oldest vines (as now does the Reserve).

Cerdeira describes Dócil, which has 9% alcohol and residual sugar, as ‘a German style of wine of which Dirk is a particular connoisseur’.

And why stop there? Cerdeira also makes Niepoort Girasol, a stellar example of Vinho Verde using the more delicate Loureiro grape. Like Soalheiro’s Alvarinhos, it bears eloquent testimony to the huge potential of this underrated region – as does Niepoort’s involvement, which Cerdeira believes gives an international profile to a region ‘that doesn’t have the glamour of Port’.

Cerdeira says that discerning differences in wines from older vines proved pivotal: ‘These days we understand our terroir much better, and use that philosophy to produce different styles of wine.’

Quinta de Soalheiro, Primeiras Vinhas, Vinho Verde, Portugal 2008 18.5pts/20
£17.95–£25 Bat & Bottle, Halifax Wine Co, Hangingditch, WoodWinters
Fresh mineral nose, with tangy, tropical fruit, minerals and honeysuckle on its textured, layered palate. Beautiful balance.
Drink: 2011–2016. Alc: 12.9%

Quinta do Monte d’Oiro
The Douro has become a magnet for famous Bordelais, including Bruno Prats, Jean-Michel Cazes, François Lurton and Bernard Magrez. The Lisboa appellation (previously called Estremadura) may not have the Douro’s caché, but its potential for great Syrah sparked the interest of Rhône Valley legend Michel Chapoutier. The owner of Quinta do Monte d’Oiro, José Bento dos Santos – who planted the country’s first Syrah in 1992 – befriended Chapoutier in the 1980s. Which explains why he owns an ‘extraordinary’ massal selection of Syrah (cuttings from Chapoutier’s old vines in Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie and St-Joseph) and why his winemaker Graça Gonçalves is advised by Chapoutier’s chief oenologist Grégory Viennois. For Bento dos Santos, Chapoutier’s involvement ‘has been of tremendous help to achieve perfection and consistency in our wines’. Côte-Rôtie style, with a dash of Viognier, the Reserva is supremely layered and complex compared to other Portuguese Syrahs.

Madrigal, a 100% Viognier, also shows great subtlety. The French Portuguese relationship is a true cultural exchange in their joint project Domaine Bento & Chapoutier. Their Ex Aequo (first made in 2006) is a velvety, rich, floral blend of Monte d’Oiro’s Syrah and Touriga Nacional, Portugal’s flagship grape. Describing the latter as ‘as great a grape as Syrah’, Chapoutier has since planted Touriga Nacional in France.

Quinta do Monte d’Oiro, Reserva,
Lisboa 2007 17pts/20
N/A UK www.quintadomontedoiro.com
Lovely saturation of juicy blackberry and plum, with hints of leather, star anise and cedar spice. Long, with a fine spine of tannins. Drink: 2011–2016. Alc: 13.5%

Quinta do Centro
‘I’m old enough to remember the fruitless, oxidised whites and dried out, tannic reds Portugal used to like and that were completely out of tune with foreign markets,’ says Richard Mayson, a wine writer and Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Chair for Port.
When he decided to ‘make a wine rooted in Portugal but shaped by international markets’, he joined forces with renowned consultant Rui Reguinga, who makes wine throughout Portugal and abroad. The rolling plains of the warm, southerly Alentejo region is much better suited to volume production than mountainous regions like the Douro. With frenzied planting of native and international grapes over the past decade, it has forged a reputation for soft, fruity, export-friendly wines. But Mayson and Reguinga wanted to do something different. ‘You can’t afford to shun international influence and experience, but it’s important to respect and build on the best Portuguese traditions,’ says Mayson.

In 2005, he acquired the 20-hectare Quinta do Centro, perched at 500m–560m on the slopes of the Serra de São Mamede in the Alentejo’s northernmost sub-region of Portalegre. ‘It has the altitude, freshness and diurnal variation for longer maturation, lower alcohols, more freshness and acidity,’ says Reguinga.

With a foot in the vineyard (traditionally planted with local varieties) and another in the market, the partners have produced ‘a terroir-based red that can be drunk outside Portugal’. Pedra Basta reflects the region’s rocky granite terrain and what Mayson describes as ‘stony mountain fruit character’ that can be seen in cooler vintages like 2007 and 2008. ‘It’s fresher, more fruit pure, but it’s a Portuguese wine,’ says Reguinga.

Quinta do Centro, Pedra Basta,
Alentejano 2007 16pts/20
£12.50 Bat & Bottle, The Wine Society
This mid-weight, elegant, persistent wine is a fine companion for food with its well-defined red fruits supported by firm but ripe tannins.
Drink: 2011–2014. Alc: 13.5%. D

This article is featured in the latest edition of Decanter magazine.

Sarah Ahmed ‘The Wine Detective’ has chosen her top 5 Portuguese wines from 2010, click on each wine to find your local stockist, let us know what you think and what food you would match with them…

Afros Vinhão 2009 (Vinho Verde)

Anyone reading these pages knows what a huge fan I am of Vinho Verde, especially its Alvarinhos, however I’ve opted for a red Vinho Verde as my pick of the year. Not just because it’s a terrific wine, but also because it highlights one of Portugal’s key strengths, the affinity of its wines for food. A vivid nose and palate has a chicory edge to its concentrated but sappy cassis and wild berry fruit. Lees ageing buffers the acidity without losing the freshness or minerality. Vinhão can be angular, but this is wonderfully svelte – a sophisticated match for my char-grilled fillet of salt cod, as was Afros sparkling Vinhão with sardinha de escabeche (pictured). (Check out my report here of a visit to this biodynamic estate for more great Vinho Verde/food matches).

Pó de Poeira Tinto 2008 (the Douro)

I love the mineral sluiced quality of the Douro’s 2008 vintage and this, the talented Jorge Moreira’s junior red, is a great example of terroir-driven winemaking at an affordable price point. Silky, so elegant with high definition, mineral-sluiced red and black fruits and a floral lift. Less is more. Just gorgeous.

Wine & Soul Guru 2009 (the Douro)

This Douro white launched with a splash, picking up Best White Wine Award at the International Wine Challenge for the maiden 2004 vintage. And it just gets better and better (see a report of my visit with winemaker Jorge Serôdio Borges here for the background to its increased refinement). Very saline and fresh on nose and palate, its al dente, lees-edged stone fruits animated by a thrust of minerality/acidity. Superb balance and length.

Quinta das Bágeiras Vinho Branco Colheita 1994 (Bairrada)

I selected the 2007 vintage of the Garrafeira, a blend of Maria Gomes/Bical, for My 50 Great Portuguese Wines, which choice was affirmed this year when Dirk Niepoort produced a bottle of the 94 Colheita at a tasting. As I said of the 2007, Bairrada’s “best whites are built like Paula Radcliffe – lean and mean, at least in their youth” and with, I quote from my notes ”UNBELIEVABLE FRESHNESS,” the 94 still has plenty of gas in the tank. An oilskin/fresh pine needles nose grabs the attention from the off and, with it’s visceral charge of pithy, limey acidity, it just keeps going and going. Worked briliantly with oysters.

Filipa Pato Lokal Silex 2008 (Beiras)

This wine, this vintage has the double distinction (I like to think!) of making the cut for My 50 Great Portuguese Wines and My Top Five Portuguese Wines of 2010. Puts me in mind of a really sexy Loire Cabernet Franc. Deep crimson with a bright pink rim and a gorgeous floral nose with rock rose and violets, which unfurl on the palate. A lipsmacking palate shows well-defined, bright and juicy red and black cherry and currant fruit supported by silky tannins. A beautiful, heady, yet finely honed wine from the talented Filipa Pato.

Christmas is just days away so if you’re stuck for gift ideas, Wines of Portugal have the answer…

Fancy a 7 day wine tour to the Douro?

Arblaster and Clarke have started taking bookings for their 2011 trip to the Douro, the 7 day tour will take place on 16th – 22nd October 2011 and is a fantastic holiday for all you Portuguese wine lovers.

The Douro is still one of Europe’s unspoilt paradises. On this stunning walking tour, you will explore the vineyards, quintas, villages and towns of the dramatic Douro valley; mostly on foot, but also by train, and just before harvest there will be lots happening in the vineyards!

For further information about this fantastic trip contact Arblaster and Clarke direct on +44 (0)1730 263111 or email contact@winetours.co.uk

The Wine and Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal

This book is perfect for independent travelers who love food and wine, but also want to discover Portugal.
It has been written by Charles Metcalfe, one of the most spontaneous and amusing wine critics in Britain and a well known face on British television, and Kathryn McWhirter who was the drinks correspondent for the independent on Sunday and wrote the Which? Wine Guide and Good Wine Bar Guide.

They lead you around edible Lisbon and Porto, and the stunning countryside of undiscovered inland Portugal.
The book also gives you recommendations for places to eat, sleep and what to do inbetween meals (apart from drinking wine).

The Wine and Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal is available to buy online from Amazon, click here to purchase this fantastic stocking filler.

Winemag.com has recently published a buying guide for wine enthusiasts, and we are delighted that many of Bacalhôa’s wines have been listed, see below for the cellar selection, editor’s choice and best buys:

Cellar Selection

• Palácio da Bacalhôa 2007 Península de Setúbal

Editors Choice

• Quinta da Bacalhôa Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Península de Setúbal.
• Quinta da Bacalhôa Branco

Best Buys

• Catarina 2009
• Tinto da Anfora 2007
• JP Azeitão Branco 2009
• Quinta dos Loridos 2008

All the wines are produced by Bacalhôa and imported by EI Wines; visit www.viniportugal.co.uk to find your nearest stockist.

Five magnificient courses of traditionally cured meats, cheeses and dishes accompanied with great wines and followed with favourite desserts . A great opportunity to experience fine Portuguese food and wine.

During the course of the evening they will tell you about Portugal, introducing its rich cultural and traditional heritage, and even reveal a few secrets of this authentic cuisine. They will also be happy to answer any questions and suggest lovely places to visit should you select Portugal as a place to visit some time in future.

Date: 24th November
Place: Number 22, 22 Half Moon Lane, London SE24 9HU

Dinner programme:
7.00 pm – arrival and first serving of starters
“Aperetivos” of artisan cured meats served with white port

7.30 pm – First course is served
First course – Carpaccio of salt cod accompanied by Alvarinho Vinho Verde

8.00 pm – Main Course
Roast belly pork with clams and roast Mediterranean vegetables – served with Quinta da Garrida Reserva 2006 .

Followed by:
Regional cheeses with Prazo de Roriz 2008.
Almond tart with Quinta de La Rosa Tawny Port

Coffee and liqours or brandy

To book your special experience of a taste of Portugal,
or for further enquiries
Please call 02077331222,
07944390309,
Or e-mail:sales@rainhasanta.co.uk
Ate a vista! We look forward to seeing you there!

Below are the latest UK supermarket promotions featuring Portuguese wines.

Majestic

Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde 2009 – buy two bottles and save £2.50

Tesco

Warre’s Otima 10 Year Old Tawny Port 50cl 15% off
5% off Port Mixed Case

This fantastic combination is a full bottle of Moscatel de Setubal together with 12 little chocolate cups. Simply pour the wine into the cups, drink and savor the wine and then eat the cup! Sheer indulgence and a lovely gift to anyone (including yourself!)

Even after you have eaten all the cups you will still have enough delicious Moscatel to keep in the fridge for other opportunities to indulge in this sumptuous treat of a wine.

Click here to order yours now from Paul at Portovino