If you missed Portugal’s BIG Tasting with Oz Clarke you can still join in; there is a highlighted version below and also at www.thebigtasting.com Meet the producers, hear Oz’s crazy stories – it’s really entertaining…

Nearly 3,000 people took part in the original event and everyone had a ball; there were parties all over the UK and in Portugal; so why don’t you get hold of the wines from Waitrose (in-store or from Waitrosewine.com) and enjoy tasting these wines along with Oz.

1. Quinta de Azevedo, Vinho Verde white
2. Vida Nova, Algarve red
3. Tinto da Anfora, Alentejo red – where is the winemaker’s favourite place to eat – click here to find out.
4. Tagus Creek Cabernet/Aragonez, Tejo red
5. Arco de Esporão, Alentejo red – meet David Baverstock their flying winemaker
6. Quinta de la Rosa Waitrose Douro red

Continuing our mission to highlight every wine that will be tasted during The Big Tasting with Oz Clark on April 12th, we’ve now moved on to the 3rd wine: Quinta de la Rosa Reserva 2008.

The Quinta de la Rosa vineyard is located in beautiful terraced vineyards carved by the winding Douro River. The region itself contains primarily schist soils and is surrounded by the Marão and Montemuro mountain ranges. Consequently, despite the 250,000 hectares in the Douro, only 40,000 of it has been dedicated to culturing vines. Working the vines is primarily done by hand as the combination of slippery and sharp soils in conjunction with incredibly steep terrain makes vine growing in the area more of an extreme sport than a romantic vocation.

The winery is run by the father and daughter team, Tim and Sophia Bergquist, along with the support of Sophia’s brother, Phillip. The winery was originally given to Sophia’s grandmother as a christening present over 100 years ago.

Sophia Bergquist describes this wine as big, juicy and surprisingly good. She recommends steak, stews, meats, cheese, and even chicken to go with this wine.

We thought a good recipe might be: Costelas Vinho d’alhos (Wine and Garlic Marinated Pork Ribs)

6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon molho picante (hot chili sauce)
1 cup wine
5 pounds meaty pork ribs

1. In a large non-reactive ceramic, glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the garlic, salt, lemon juice, chili sauce, and wine.
2. If you have the ribs in a rack, separate them by cutting between the ribs to separate them. Place all the ribs in the bowl, turning them in the marinade to coat thoroughly. You can double the marinade recipe if needed.
3. Marinate the ribs 24 to 36 hours. Grill over medium hot coals or wood fire , turning as needed, cooking until the meat is nearly falling off the bone.

Variation: You can also toss them in a roasting pan, marinade and all, braise the ribs in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degree F. and then transfer them to the grill for the finishing touch.

What kinds of foods or music would you pair with this wine?

Share your thoughts on the wine!

Continuing our mission to highlight every wine that will be tasted during The Big Tasting with Oz Clark on April 12th, we’ve now moved on to the 6th and final wine: Arco de Esporão 2008.

Like the Tinto da Ânfora 2006, Arco de Esporão is from the Alentejo region, where the villages are rural with majestic sunsets. Evora and Monsaraz are medieval forested towns with world heritage status. If you’ve never visited the open markets or the quaint family run shops in the Alentejo, mark it under your “must visit” list.

The Arco de Esporão is a new multi-varietal blend made specially for Waitrose by top Portuguese winemaker David Baverstock. Made with the indigenous grape varieties: Aragónez, Trincadeira, Castelão, Syrah, Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet, it’s a stunning wine. The judicious use of well-integrated oak adds a spicy, herbal quality to this gorgeous red, with its rounded palate and soft tannins. Ideal for drinking now with pasta or meat dishes, alternatively cellar for 3 to 5 years for more mature style.

As for where to visit in Evora? Follow Go Lisbon’s suggestions and check out:

1. Temple of Diana: Dating from the 2nd century, it is one of the Iberian Peninsula’s best preserved Roman monuments, raised on a 3m (10ft)-high stone platform, with 14 of the original 18 granite Corinthian columns still standing. The whitewashed houses, arches, and twisting alleyways that characterize the town reflect the Moorish presence.
2. Praça do Giraldo: Located in the main square, this is the best place to start a visit. It was an execution ground during the Inquisition, but is now filled with shops and cafes, and surrounded by attractive townhouses with wrought-iron balconies.
3. Loios Convent: The convent is now a splendid pousada but anyone can visit its Gothic church founded in 1485.
4. Towers of the Sé (cathedral): This was built in 1186 (and where the flags of Vasco da Gama’s ships were blessed before his voyage to India), are seen from here. It is a blend of Romanesque and Gothic, and on the portal are 14th century sculpted Apostles. The Gothic interior has one of the longest naves found in any cathedral in the country, measuring 70m(230ft), and has a large Renaissance organ, thought to be the oldest in Europe.
5. City Museum, representing Evora’s long history through Roman columns, 16th-century paintings, and modern sculpture. Among the paintings is a 15th century Holy Virgin with Child by Alvaro Pires (he is one of the earliest identified Portuguese artists although a number of his paintings are displayed in Pisa and Florence in Italy).
6. Church of São Francisco. It is a Manueline-Gothic structure completed around 1510, and legend has it that Portuguese navigator Gil Vicente is buried in it. Not buried, but on display, are the bones and skulls of some 5000 people covering the walls and columns of the church’s Chapel of Bones

Do you have any additional suggestions as to where one should visit, or eat, in Evora?!

The BIG Tasting with Oz Clarke is fast approaching, and after weeks of endless meetings, e-mails, phone calls and decisions, the event is finally planned, all the promotional material is in place, the website is live….so let the countdown begin.

The employees at Waitrose Canary Wharf and John Lewis on Oxford Street have been busy with the technology side of things. They have the responsibility to ensure that all the live streaming works on the night, so test runs have been happening in store to ensure that it all goes smoothly.

We asked Nick Room the wine buyer for Waitrose how this fun and exciting tasting benefits Waitrose and the image of Portuguese wines.

He said “The event gives good exposure to Portuguese wine and the broadcast is fronted by an excellent host, Oz Clarke, who is well known to millions. The event  is good publicity for Portuguese wine, as soon as people try Portuguese table wines they’ll love them enough to want to go on to purchase, this is because of the diversity, unique flavours, structure, weight, fruitiness, superb balance – all good attributes and delivering excellent value for money!”

Well Nick we couldn’t agree more! If you want to learn more about the Big tasting Visit the site! Or send us a question!

See you all soon!

This year during the Annual Tasting of Portuguese Wines ViniPortugal is planning a fantastic wine tasting with a difference. Famous celebrity wine expert Oz Clarke is set to lead the nation’s wine lovers through six Portuguese wines on April 12th 2010, and wherever you live you can take part!

1) You can join in the tasting with the irrepressible Oz Clarke starting at 6pm at Lord’s Cricket ground. Tickets are available from www.seetickets.com at £15 per person, a contribution from every ticket sold will be made to the Madeira Disaster Fund.

2) Join in one of the ‘on-line’ outside events at John Lewis in Oxford Street, or Waitrose Canary Wharf.

3) View the tasting with Oz live on-line at www.thebigtasting.com from the comfort of your own home from 7pm onwards. Why not organise a Portuguese evening with your friends, and create your own event.

All 6 wines Oz will show are available at Waitrose so you can buy them in advance from Waitrose stores or from www.waitrosewine.com

All you have to do is log onto www.thebigtasting.com to register, and then simply enjoy 6 fantastic Portuguese wines with Oz from your chosen venue on Monday 12th April.

You can also follow ‘vpwine’ on Twitter in the lead up to the event. Make sure to use #TBT2010 to track the event. Please help us spread the word by telling all your friends and family to help make this event the biggest tasting in Britain!!