Portuguese Exploration

A funny thing happened on my way to the Second Annual Wine Bloggers’ Conference last week when I found myself stranded at San Francisco airport then rescued by Marcio Ferreira, a modern day version of Ferdinand Magellan who somehow instinctively knew when to ignore the GPS system and when to follow it as we made our way to Santa Rosa in the middle of the night.

Along the way I reminisced about an adventure I once had in the Algarve—the coastal area in southwestern Portugal that is considered to be the birthplace of the Age of Exploration and where I had my first sips of Port and Madeira, the country’s most famous fortified wines.

Later in the weekend Marcio, who came to the conference as a sponsor from the trade organization ViniPortugal, hosted an after hours party featuring a selection of Portuguese wines that opened my eyes to a whole new world of wine discovery—Portugal’s dry wines, both red and white which have undergone a quality revolution over the last twenty or so years.

What impressed me the most about the tasting were the unexpected flavors—from crisp, light Alvarinho based whites to dark, plummy, smoke and spice-infused reds. Some wines are the product of a single grape variety. The majority are blends—sometimes of countless varieties with names that are difficult to pronounce and even trickier to spell.

The diversity of flavors and styles comes from the staggering number (literally hundreds) of native grape varieties grown in a range of terrains and microclimates that make up the country’s many DOCs (Denominação de Origem Controlada), IPRs (Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada) and Vinho Regionals.

While some of the wines, like those from Alentejo (a hotter climate in the south) were more “international” in style (fruitier, less tannic, more approachable), there was still something about them—a pinch of herbs, a dash of spice, the tiniest bit of grip, that made them unique, more complex—more interesting.

One of my favorites of the tasting—the Quinta do Vallado Douro 2006 from the Douro Valley farther north in Portugal was made from 100% Touriga Nacional and showed layers of rich red and black fruit with notes of violet, licorice and eucalyptus. A white wine—the Quartilho Branco Vinho Regional Ribatejano 2007 from an area not far from Lisbon was made from the native grape Fernão Pires and showed floral and melon on the nose with stone fruits and refreshing acidity on the palate.

According to a January 2009 article on the Massachusetts’ Beverage Business Magazine website, Portuguese table wines have largely been undiscovered in the United States except in areas where there is a significant Portuguese population. But some importers are predicting a change in this pattern as Americans get to know that these wines offer something different and in many cases, something very affordable.

I plan to make a trip in the near future to the Ironbound in Newark where I will embark on my very own voyage of discovery towards a deeper understanding of these wines from a tiny nation that is literally perched on the edge of the world. I’ll report back with new finds as they unfold.

Tags: wine | blogs