Wine Fictions

 There are certain things in the wine world that puzzle me and the fact that Hugo Mendes is not represented in Germany is one of them.  Since I have came across his work and consequently met him in Santarém that I have the feeling that there is a high potential not only on his work but also on showing how Portugal is going through a wine revolution, redefining its own parameters as well as adapting to a quickly changing market and drinking habits.  From the projects that I was given the opportunity to try lately, I want to highlight my recent fascination with Pet Nats coming from the vinho verde region. If the one from Quinta de Amares has already conquered a fixed spot on the wines that I often go back to, today it was time for me to come across the one by Casal de Ventozela.  Made of Loureiro and Fernao Pires ( this last one quite an uncommon grape in the north of Portugal, I have to say) it has very decent citrus fruits allied with some white tea and a tremendou...

 With Christmas and New Year's there is not only a rise in the amount of wine consumption but also, in my very personal case, a long and deep thought about which wines to open to go through these days that I am not particularly a fan of.  More than just picking up the best ones I have around, it is, in fact a by far more difficult question. For Christmas I have taken in account not only what would be cooked but also the people who would be drinking with me. Besides that there was also another important conditioner of my choices: Saudade . This festive times are often quite emotional on how much I miss being in Portugal. That was the reason that led me to making a last minute wine order by one of the most important portuguese wine retailers in Germany . Briefly after having set my order, I have gotten a phone call from the owner preventing me from buying one of the wines as it was not good any longer.   Positively impressed, I have started praying that the delivery se...

 Not too long ago I was taken by a friend of mine to the magnificent Schloss Vollrads in Rheingau. If you have had the opportunity to visit it, I think it is not hard to imagine that I have directly fallen in love with it. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit it, I recommend you a quick look at this video . A couple of days later, while reading Hugh Johnson 's The Story of Wine I have come across a reference to the same Schloss Vollrads as being one of the oldest settlements in the Rheingau region producing wine. When coming across this reference, I thought it was more than enough of a sign to open this bottle in a feeble attempt to relive the incredible sensations that invaded me after having been in such an amazing place.  In fact, when I was there I have tried the Brut while standing in the yard continuously admiring the set of medieval buildings.  Having particularly appreciated it, I have decided to buy the Extra Brut. Being a huge fan of Riesling I wanted to...

After quite a long and morose inner process I have decided to give up teaching and I will soon embrace a new step professionally by working at the wine section of an Italian importer in Hamburg.  I have to confess that the temptation of working with wine has always been there and became stronger in these last months leading me to this final decision.  Being so, I have already started fighting my gaps of knowledge about certain regions and styles and the ones reading this blog will probably start being bombed with extensive reviews of Italian wines in the following posts as this one may well be an example. One of the wines I miss more tasting information is about sparkling wines. After a quick check I have just realized that I have only written one single review about a sparkling wine in this blog.  Being so, it was for me quite obvious where to start when approaching the  topic on an Italian point of view: Prosecco. With its name deriving from the village of Prosecco...

 More than fifty posts after I have started this blog, I am finally going to make my considerations about a sparkling wine.  The reason I have taken such a long time to do it is my personal reluctance about sparkling wines. They are simply not my kind of thing, even though I am surrounded by several friends who defend it with great enthusiasm and always try to persuade me wrong. One of the attempts was to try this Astronauta Baga 2015, produced by Aníbal Coutinho and his fascinating project Astronaut. This Baga was, in fact, produced in the lands belonging to Caves da Montanha which have some of the first sparkling wines that have called my attention in an action by Wines of Portugal in Hamburg for a couple of years.  Once I have tried it, I have to confess that I was absolutely amazed.  Its fine and delicate citrus taste with voluminous notes of vanilla allied with an incredibly perfect and dry ending have surprised and seduced me from the very first moment. Being a...