One sunny spring San Francisco day last week Spaswinefood attended Wines of Portugal annual tasting event at the Bentley Reserve. I was so excited to check out wines from Portugal's wine regions. The tasting event was a great opportunity for me to learn about Portuguese wines and its wine regions. I also enjoyed meeting importers, producers and winemakers. It was a great day for some amazing wine discoveries. Let us take a look at some of these discoveries.
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| Discovering Vinho Verde © Spaswinefood |
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Wines of Portugal © Spaswinefood
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Vinho Verde Time
Soon after arriving at the tasting event I realized that it might be best to focus on one wine region. The result was I decided to concentrate mainly on the Vinho Verde wine region. Yes, I did drift a little and taste a few wines from the Dao and Porto and Douro. Last October Spaswinefood visited Portugal's Porto and Douro wine region, with a goal to learn about Port wines. What I soon discovered was that the Porto and Douro wine region also produces great red and white wines as well. Hence my quest to learn more about Portuguese wines began.
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| Portugal's Wine Regions © Spaswinefood |
Vinho Verde literally means green wine but is best translated as young wine. As its name suggests Vinho Verde wines are best drank young. Vinho Verde wine region is the largest DOC in Portugal and one of the largest wine regions in Europe. This region, one of the oldest in Portugal, was demarcated in 1908. Today's Vinho Verde DOC includes Minho Province, plus adjacent areas to the south.
Vinho Verde is produced in a variety of wine types. These wine types include white, rosé, red, sparkling and spirits. The wine can be made from a single grape variety or a blend of indigenous grapes. The main grape varieties used to make white wine include Alvarinho, Arinto, Avesso, Azal, Batoca Loureiro and Trajadura. Whereas the grape varieties used to make red wine inlude Amaral, Borraçal, Alvarelhão, Espadeiro, Padeiro, Pedral, Raho de Anho and Vinhão. The overall characteristics of Vinho Verde wines are (1) light and flavorful, (2) lower in alcohol, (3) soft on the palate, (4) fruity and floral aromas and (5) lower in calories.
Ela Vinho Verde
My first stop was to taste two Ela Vinho Verde wines produced by TouchStone Wines. Winemaker, Claudia Rodrigues, made these wines. I liked that both these young wines are wonderfully light and refreshing on the palate. The Ela Vinho Verde 2011 white wine is a medium dry sparkling wine made from a blend of Loureiro, Trajadura and Arinto grapes. It has fruity aromas. The Ela Vinho Verde Rosé 2012 is a blend of Vinhao, Borracal and Espadeiro. It has strawberry aromas.
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| Ela Vinho Verde, TouchStone Wines © Spaswinefood
Estreia Vinho Verde
Winemaker, José Antas Oliveira, hosted the Estreia Vinho Verde table. The event was so busy that I did not get much time to chat with the winemaker. However, I did get to taste all the Estreia wines.
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| Estreia wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Estreia wines © Spaswinefood |
I very much liked the overall quality of the Estreia wines.
Quinta Da Lixa
I tasted more Vinho Verde wines at the Quinta Da Lixa table.
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| Quinta Da Lixa wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Quinta Da Lixa wines © Spaswinefood |
Now for a closer look at the Quinta Da Lixa wines available for tasting.
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| Quinta Da Lixa wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Quinta Da Lixa Loureiro 2012 © Spaswinefood |
I especially liked Quinta Da Lixa dry white wines, Vinho Verde (Loureiro/Trajadura/Alvarinho) and Loureiro and the sweeter Aromas Das Castas (Alvarinho /Trajadura). However, the Terras Do Minho, Touriga Nacional Rosé 2012 was a hit with me. This is not surprising given I am fond of Touriga National.
More Vinho Verde Producers
The last table I dropped by there was a collection of wines produced by several producers.
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| Several Vinho Verde Producers © Spaswinefood |
The three wines I tasted were Crisopa 2011 (Loureiro/Trajadura/Arinto), Adega de Monção, Muralhas de Monção 2012 (Alvarinho/Trajadura) and Qunita De Melgaço Alvarinho 2012. The person pouring at the time recommended these three wines. They were all different but very enjoyable. I liked them.
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| Crisopa 2011 © Spaswinefood |
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| Adega de Monção, Muralhas De Monção 2012 © Spaswinefood |
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| Quinta De Melgaço, Alvarinho 2012 © Spaswinefood |
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| Wines of Portugal © Spaswinefood |
It was an exciting Vinho Verde afternoon. In just one afternoon at a Wines of Portugal tasting Spaswinefood was introduced to the Vinho Verde world. Put Vinho Verde on the top of your list of wines to try this summer. While some Vinho Verde wines are just perfect on a hot summer's day you will also find Vinho Verde wines that pair well with appetizers, main course and dessert. For further information on all things Vinho Verde check out their website.
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Wines of Portugal © Spaswinefood
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I invite you to join me in my travels in Portugal and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.
Sharon
May 2013
San Francisco, California
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