Alice Vieira de Sousa Reserva 2019

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 There are a lot of excuses I can think of to try to justify why I have opened this Reserva so early, but none of them sounds strong enough to hide the truth that I could not wait any longer to open a typical  Douro wine now that the Autumn seems to have settled in Hamburg.

Somehow the upcoming of the new season arises in me the nostalgic wish of feeling dark berries allied with decent woody vanilla notes. It is, for me, a perfect match for the falling of the first golden and reddish leaves which start covering the streets of the city.

Sometimes wines just manage to correspond to our inner mood and reflect the multitude of feelings that may invades us at a determined time.

Even though I have to recognize that it was definitely too early to open this wine, it has also answered in almost perfection to my expectations. A predominant Touriga Nacional with its particular reaction to wood contact has granted me the satisfaction that I was looking for.  The other traditional grapes used in the Douro region have completed a full bouquet where ripe berries and vanilla have invaded my palate. 

A very good wine, perfect for most occasions without complicating too much stews or oven dishes, raising in us the beauty of Autumn. Somehow uncomplicated but still complex enough to generate the pleasure of the discovery of its multiple tastes.

With it, I would recommend an Autumny poem by Yeats, When you are old

 

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;


How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;


And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars

 

 

 

 

16,5/20
Country: Portugal
Region: Douro
Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz
14,5%
Winemaker: N/A

Website: https://www.vieiradesousa.com/pt/wines/alice-vieira-de-sousa-tinto-reserva_8

Location: Hamburg, Germany

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