Wine Fictions

The moment has come for me to review my first German wine in this blog: due to the Portuguese tax system ( Portuguese wines pay 13% and imported ones 23%), most Portuguese don't even know that Germany produces wine, being normally associated with beer. It is clearly a surprise for most of my Portuguese friends to know that Germany produces not only more wine than Portugal, but especially  when I also say that there are some pretty good wines around. Even though I am pretty critical about the generality of red wines, often lacking some body and complexity due to the general tendency of making monovarietal wines, the whites ones often present a complete different scenery:  A good example of it, it is this Mertz Grauburgunder, or Pinot Gris, as it is generally known outside the German speaking world. If the first impression is dominated by the strong citrus bouquet, the intense minerality comes with the first sip, leading us to one of the strongest features of the Rhein...

According to some of the latest reports issued by Wines of Portugal, almost half of the Portuguese wine production is to export, as you can check here . Taking in account that different markets ask for different sort of wines, I find this quite a significant sign of Portuguese wines plurality. A good example of that can be this Portuga, produced by Casa Santos Lima. It is a pretty light wine, very fruity without being too intrusive, reminding me of some red wines from the south of Germany. Still, its deep red colour along with some wooden notes give it quite a distinctive trace often present in Portuguese wines. I would define it as a pretty pleasant wine that can definitely match markets like Germany due to its light  alcohol percentage and harmonious body, making it a perfect wine to be drunk on its own. With it, some Witter Bynner and enjoy the first waves of summer breeze which has been taking over Europe. This veil Of lavender and dawn Floats off Invisible,  ...

One of the most exciting things about wine is to discover new grapes and complete new flavours which open us new doors for exciting worlds previously unknown. That is exactly what happened with me with this 100% Síria from Beira Interior, which is, for many Portuguese (me included), a not too known wine region. Without too many references about it I have embarked in this journey as someone who goes to some blind tasting. Soon its intense tropical fruits bouquet has conquered me, reminding me of some sort of Vinho Verde, but with a bit more complexity and structure, making it a tremendously gastronomic wine. Codfish can definitely be one of its better matches. I have to confess that this was one of the most pleasant surprises I had in the last times and I would recommend it to all the ones who are looking for a not too commercial mainstream wine figuring some unique and pleasant features. With it, some Maya Angelou and its iconic Still I rise: You may write me down in histo...

For many years Alentejo has been a synonym for extremely harsh wines, with strong tannins which made them incredibly bitter  and corky in the mouth and with a strong presence of alcohol in them.  This stereotype has long been abandoned, if ever true at all, and there have been some pretty exciting developments in the last twenty years as some small producers have been entering the market with pretty good wines that challenge and break this stereotypes as well as challenge the traditional quality wine producers. A good example of that is this Rafeiro. It is an incredible fresh and young wine, with strong notes of berries allied with some chocolate, revealing an intense and unique character.  It is quite an uncomplicated wine to drink both solo or along with some meat dishes or stronger cheeses. It is also interesting the mix of both Portuguese and foreign grapes, which gets mirrored in its extraordinary balance. And all this without forgetting to assume itself ...

Palmela has, for me, the unique enchantment of seeing the village going up the hill finishing in the castle at top. For many years I had the opportunity to see this idyllic image pretty often as I have lived pretty close to it and, somehow, it was this image that I have tried to revive in this wine. The amount of experiences / memories that wine can arise in us is always surprising and it is up to us to be open to them! This Quinta do Monte Alegre has revealed me pure ripe berries with strong floral notes and a slight wooden taste in a vigorous and lively wine! Its vanilla notes gives it a strong sensual character, making it either a good wine to accompany Mediterranean dishes or to drink it solo. If it has managed to make me travel back in my memories to this image that I have first described? Somehow, yes, but it has also opened new suggestions and feelings, awakening in me the wish to go back to it some time soon. With it I also recommend a quick taste on this bea...

As soon as I have opened this M.I., I found myself diving in its deep and dark colour.  Its initial aromas of ripe berries became stronger as I have let it breathe for a while. The presence of wood has involved it in what I would consider to be the typical expression of the Douro terroir with some sort of Autumn notes. This at a time that the temperatures in Hamburg have fallen drastically, making me forget of the evident signs Spring leaves all around. A perfect wine for these strange days that have taken over the city, I would say. I would also like to call attention to the joint work of Quinta Maria Izabel and Dirk Niepoort that has resulted in this elegant and dense wine making it a perfect day-to-day wine With it I would recommend some of the north american Alberto Rios poetry, such as this A  House called Tomorrow, which I have found myself reading over and over in the last days. You are not fifteen, or twelve, or seventeen— You are a hundred wild centuries...

Having some difficulties which wine would better match the codfish I had prepared for dinner, I have decided to ask my 3-year-old daughter to help me.  These sort of decisions often need a mix of uninterested and impartial amount of luck to come to a safe port. When seeing the bottle of Monte da Peceguina, there was no doubts as she promptly exclaimed: Oh papa, you have bought my favourite wine!! Decided to take this as a sign, I have put the other bottle away and opened it while she kept on looking at the butterfly of the label with a smile in her mouth. What for a better way to open a bottle, than with a smile? In the nose we are allowed to feel quite an impressive bouquet of berries along with some exotic scents such as liquorice. In the mouth this suggestion consubstantiates and it is quite a fresh wine despite its 14,5%. Strong fruits and a long ending, making me recall the long ends of the day from Alentejo. It was quite a perfect combination for some codfish cooked...

Going back to Tejo wines is always a sort of a personal travel back to my own origins. Besides the normal pleasure one can have by drinking wine, I always find myself challenged by the emotional connection as well. Being that the purpose of this blog is not to offer an impartial and cold analysis of the selected wines, but to refer to the world of ideas that it generates and feeds, I may well proceed without any further considerations. Possessing a bright red colour, it has some very pleasant berries and vanilla taste in the palate. With a rather low alcohol content it ends up being a rather soft and easy wine to drink.  It is, subsequently, a perfect match for many Mediterranean dishes and quite perfect for these first warmer days of Spring. These are exactly the days that remind me the most the Tejo region where I was born and where my personality started acquiring the main features that make me the person I am nowadays. Being so, I can only recommend ...