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...

As I have moved to Hamburg about thirteen years ago, I started being invaded with a strong feeling of reliving some of the dishes that have marked my growing up in Portugal. Some are easier than others to recreate, being strongly dependent on the ingredients that you can find. One that has been persistently buzzing in my head is Cabidela .  Original from the north of Portugal with different varietals in almost all the former portuguese colonies, this has been one of my all time favourite dishes. But hard do it in Hamburg. I have asked several butchers for blood but I have been invariously looked with a mix of suspicion and fear.  But while having a look at the possibility of buying a piglet at an asian supermarket, I have came across duck blood.  Without hesitation I bought it and immediately invited a group of friends to come over and try the cabidela.  Being the first time that I have tried to cook it, it was not as good as I wanted it, but I was still satisfied wi...

 Now that the summer seems to have finally arrived in Hamburg and the temperatures are getting close to 30 degrees celsius most people around here rush to get their grills out and enjoy the nice weather. Even though it is an activity mainly accompanied by beer, there has been a growing demand for wines which can both pair the traditional grilled sausages and the warmer temperatures. This may seem particularly complicated, but there are a couple of red wines that are made to drink slightly cooled if not cold.  Governo Toscano or wines which have been submitted to carbonic maceration set themselves in the front line. Still, the wine that I want to write about does not fit in any of the categories above. One of the biggest surprises I have found when I have started working at the shop I am managing was this red Vinho Verde . I have to be honest and confess that the part of the country I come from, I have seen people drinking cooled red wines during summer but nothing that compare...

 One of the things that I find most fascinating about wine it is the stories around its creation and how they can influence your final perception of it.  The director of the shop where I work has recently confessed me that he has decided to buy a Barca Velha as he came across its history and its particular selection of grapes and how a vintage is determined. In my case, I have been a growing fan of Anibal Coutinho´s Astronauta project where the Oenologist has decided to work with grapes which did not belong directly to him but were carefully chosen in special areas. In the case of this one, Coutinho has chosen one of the Portuguese star white grapes and decided to make a vinho verde even though Arinto finds in the Lisbon area its best expression. I have to confess that I was positively impressed as soon as I felt its tremendous freshness invading my palate, revealing some of the main notes you can find in a vinho verde such as pineapple and grapefruit.  It is definitely...

One of the main Portuguese enologues which has been seen his work recognized in a rather mediatic way in the last years has also been enlarging his wine projects in a quite impressive way, having started different projects all around Portugal and even in Germany having received generalized acclaim by the specialized press. I have to confess that when reading about them I always grow curious to taste most of his work. And so it was with this Dócil, produced by Dirk Niepoort. Having started in Douro, this project takes us to the Vinho Verde region to a single grape wine with one of the most representative grapes of the region, Loureiro.  My first impression when I've opened the bottle was of a decent well done wine, but nothing that could match my personal expectation. After such a publicity I came across a rather flat wine which seemed to deny me the appealing citrus that I often find in this particular grape. Maybe that's the reason for its name: Dócil (Docile). Being so, the f...

 There are wines that as soon as we finish them we feel an urge to go back to them in a near future. Some people may make mental notes, other keep a personal block which can either be analogical or digital. In fact, I have to confess that the main purpose of this blog is to help me keep track to some of the wines that have impressed me. And this is the case of this Quinta do Regueiro.    From the first sip that this wine has shown an incredible freshness along with a unique character revealing key elements from the Vinho Verde region: good acidity with an intense lemon taste and a somewhat mineral taste translating in a perfect way the terroir.  After having led it breathe a bit, the tastes have matured in a gentle and fascinating way, making it one the best Verdes I have ever drunk.  It also has a tremendous gastronomic versatility which impels me to try it again some when soon and keep on enjoying the pleasures offered by this wine. This is exactly the same th...

In order to do the most of the recent heat wave that has invaded Hamburg, I have decided to keep on my track of experimenting Vinhos Verdes. This time I have tried this intense Arinto from the Astronaut wines which has conquered me from the first sip. Brilliant acidity along with a strong and persistent pineapple taste have opened me the doors to an unique experience. For the fans of Arinto and its specific minerality, I would definitely recommend it.  Its rather pale and somehow lime colour induces us in adventurous palate experiences with high gastronomic paring. Also interesting is the concept of the whole project, which can be defined as a winemaker project, producing wines in different parts of the world ( Portugal, Germany or South Africa) under the same name and always with different collaborations.  A wine to enjoy the virtues and beauties of summer, such as this eternal poem by Shakespeare:   Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more t...

Pure citrus! This is the first thought that invaded my mind when I had my first a sip of this Casa de Paços Family Blend. As we keep on drinking it, the other tastes that are common to most vinhos verdes (such as peach or pineapple)  appear in a very harmonic way, granting it a fascinating stability, opening our palate to a most pleasant experience. This is a very elegant wine with high gastronomic versatility and I must say that it is one of my highlights of this summer due to the new dimensions that it has opened to me. Just a pity that the weather in Hamburg does not seem to collaborate with this joyful summer feeling. Along with this sort of summer euphoria, I leave you with this strongly visual poem by Anthony Cody. 17/20 Country: Portugal Region: Verde Grapes: Arinto, Alvarinho, Fernão Pires, Loureiro 12,5% Winemaker: Silva Ramos  Website: https://quintapacos.com/en/wines/index.html#

Which best way can there be to know a wine grape you don't know than to drink a mono-varietal? I have to confess that I can not control a certain sort of anxiety when I come across a new grape I have never heard of. In this case, it was Vinhão .  After reading a couple of articles about it, I soon realized that I may have tried it in some Douro blends, but never in a significant proportion that I could make my mind about it. The opportunity came with this Aphros 2018, produced by Vasco Croft, one of the main promoters of biodynamic wine in Portugal. In their website, there's quite some useful informations about the philosophy developed by Rudolf Steiner applied to agriculture. Being a vinho verde, it was not a surprise to feel some great fruity tastes, incredibly fresh in the palate and slightly sparkling.  It was also pretty interesting to notice how the wine has developed throughout the days that I had it opened, getting a bit more consistent and solid, revealing ...