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PORTUGUESE TABLE WINES
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SOALHEIRO
 Most
people know Portugal as a producer of sweet red dessert wines called Port
and maybe a few other folks know Portugal produces some really good red
wines. It seems hardly anybody knows Portugal as a source of
exceptional white wine.
People who have visited Portugal on vacation seem to know the simply Vinho
Verde wines...and we sell a modest amount of Casal Garcia's because it's
well-made, low in alcohol, lightly fizzy and it provides a measure of
nostalgia to vacationers who are back home, thousands of miles away from
being a tourist.
We first discovered the wine of Soalheiro while visiting Portugal. A
restaurant which was highly-regarded for its fresh seafood had been
suggested to us and we reserved a table.
The wine list featured a number of interesting wines, but we had to order
a bottle of Casal Garcia since a friend works for the winery (he's a
family member). The Vinho Verde was 7 Euros on the wine list.
We ordered all sorts of seafood. And, having drained the Casal
Garcia bottle, we asked the waiter if he could suggest something a bit
more interesting and still friendly enough to pair with the mass/mess of
prawns, barnacles, oysters, etc.
He didn't hesitate and pointed to the Soalheiro entry on their wine list
and it was a bit under 20 Euros...and what a delight this turned out to
be!
- Back home we were able to track down Soalheiro...and we thoroughly
enjoyed the 2009 and now the 2010 is in stock. And it's delightful!
The name of the winery and its brand, Soalheiro, is a reference to the
sunny locale in the very northernmost point of Portugal. They're in
the town of Melgaço. Much farther north and you'll need to speak
Spanish.
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In the 1970s João António Cerdeira planted some Alvarinho
just outside downtown Melgaço. He had done
his military service in Africa and returned home, working as some sort of
tax inspector. After the 1974 April Revolution, Cerdeira decided to
throw caution to the wind and he planted, against the law at the time,
Alvarinho. Scofflaw!
In his early years he'd visited Burgundy and became familiar with the
'foreign' winemaking practices in France. Today he and his son Luis
produce a top Alvarinho and their Soalheiro brand is highly-regarded in
Portugal.
The wine comes from mature vines which are now about 35 years of
age. Granite soils. Hand harvested grapes. Indigenous
yeasts. No oak.
The resulting wine is marvelously minerally and yet wonderfully fruity.
There's a steely aspect to the wine which might remind you of some Chablis
and yet there's a fruit and floral note which might recall a Riesling from
Germany, but with a bit more austerity.
I brought a bottle of this to a dinner in San Francisco of judges at the
SF International Wine Competition. It "wowed" the folks at
my table and was refreshingly dry and crisp. Dining in Sonoma at the
famous Portuguese restaurant La Salette, we ordered a bottle of the 2010
to pair with our meal. Another grand bottle!
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Currently in stock: 2010 SOALHEIRO Alvarinho Currently
Sold Out...
The importer closed its doors and we are asking another company to bring in
this remarkably good wine. Stay tuned!
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- ESPORÃO
 Though
the history books have many chapters covering this estate, the most
important paragraphs have been written rather recently.
The property is located in Reguengos de Monsaraz, a little more than a
hundred miles south of Lisbon in the Alentejo region. It's a huge
estate and quite historical. It's so big, they have two winemaking
facilities, one for red wines and one for white! The current owners
have had the place since 1973 but it's only since 1989 that they've been
actively bottling and selling their wines.
Under the guidance of Australian winemaker David Baverstock, this winery has
some delightful wines.
We've often found good wines here.
We missed their wines for several years as they had a "marketing
guru" who totally mismanaged the importation and distribution in the
U.S. He was selling wine in one market with a retail price of $19 and
in other markets for $25-$30. The California price was on the high end
of that range.
Well, the winery finally decided to be sensible and now we have the Esporão
wines for honest prices.
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 The
2010 Reserva White is dynamite!
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- It's a blend of Antão Vaz, Arinto and Roupeiro.
Some of the juice is fermented in stainless steel and another portion sees
barrel fermentation. They use both French and American oak and the
wood is beautifully integrated into the wine.
There's a stony, minerally character in the 2010 and the oak is just right,
adding complexity to the wine.
We had it with that bowl of clams & garbanzo beans (on the left)
recently and this was a great match...the wine overshadowed a top Pecorino
(white wine from the Abruzzo region) from Italy at a dinner fest.
The red is a 2008 and it's a blend of Aragonês, Trincadeira,
Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouschet. This vintage seems to show
more dark fruit notes and not as much oak as the wines we'd tasted a few
years ago...Ellen is especially pleased with this wine.
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Currently in stock: 2008 ESPORÃO Reserva $21.99
2010 ESPORÃO Reserva White $16.99
ALANDRA
 The
Alandra wines come from the Esporão producer, who's wines are (sort of)
noted above. The Alandra bottlings are remarkable for a variety of reasons.
One, they're really nice, clean, dry table wines.
For another, they're inexpensive and yet they don't taste
"cheap." California doesn't do very well making everyday
table wines, so we often look to the Iberian Peninsula for value-priced
wines.
The red Alandra is berryish, not oaked and
medium-bodied. It's a blend of Periquita, Trincadeira, Bastardo
and Moreto.
The Alandra white is a two grape blend...if you've been dying to taste
Mantedo or Diagalves, here's you're chance. No oak, just nice,
simple, easy-going table wine.
- Currently in stock: ALANDRA RED $5.99
ALANDRA WHITE $5.99
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QUINTA DO CARMO The
Quinta do Carmo property is actually owned by Julio Bastos who makes the
Dona Maria wine near the town of Estremoz. Bastos had sold his share
of the property and the owners then built another winemaking facility not
far from the Carmo "home base."
One of the partners in the Quinta do Carmo property were the Rothschilds of
Chateau Lafite. They, too, found the Portuguese wine business to be a
daunting challenge and the Rothskids sold the place to the Bacalhoa
Group...and it seems the place is in good hands. Maybe better than
before?
The 2007 Quinta do Carmo is quite good. The blend includes Tempranillo,
Alicante Bouschet, Trincadeira and Cabernet Sauvignon...and the wine spent
about a year in small French oak cooperage.
There's a nice dark fruit character here and we like the mildly cedary notes
from the oak. It's showing quite nicely now and we think it's close to
its peak.
Pair this with grilled or roasted meats...it can take the place of a bootle
of Bordeaux or Cabernet on tonight's dinner table.
- Currently in stock: 2007 QUINTA DO CARMO $22.99
PORTUGUESE
DESSERT WINES
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