Some more great value Portuguese wines

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Some more great value Portuguese wines

Our holiday in the sunny Algarve draws to a close today. Just a few hours of pool action, then a drive back up to Lisbon. One of the highlights for me has been the wine:  every supermarket we have been to has had a great selection of Portuguese wines with plenty of fun to be had for 10 Euros or under per bottle. Normal people shopping in supermarkets in Portugal have access to geek wines. In the UK, the supermarket shelves are pretty bare of interesting wine. They have good quality, drinkable wines, but they are a desert for wine geeks. So here are some more of my notes on wines purchased and drunk.

 

Luis Pato Baga Touriga Nacional 2010 VR Beiras, Portugal
Warm, spicy, meaty and a bit animal. A warm, rather feral wine. It has some spicy appeal if you don’t mind this sort of thing. Strongly savoury. 87/100

Quinta Nova Pomares 2010 Douro, Portugal
This is the entry wine for Quinta Nova, and it’s around 7 Euros on the shelf. Very fresh cherry fruit nose with some floral notes. Supple, bright palate with nice spiciness. Midweight with a bit of grip. Drinkable. 88/100

Crasto 2011 Douro, Portugal
The entry wine from Quinta do Crasto is invariably a good drop, and the 2011 delivers sweet black cherry and plum fruit with a bit of structure and a hint of tar. Benchmark Douro red. 89/100

Vallado 2010 Douro, Portugal
Ripe black fruits backed up by some savoury, spice structure. There are hints of tar and violets and it finishes grippy. Bright fruit is the key theme here. Good value at 7.5 Euros. 88/100

Quinta do Cotto 2010 Douro, Portugal
Screwcapped, this takes some time to open out and begin performing. Dense and quite grippy with nice tannins and ripe blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Good acidity. Quite tight and savoury, but opens up with a few hours air. 89/100

Saes 2011 Dao, Portugal
This was just 3 Euros. Supple with some meatiness and a green herbal edge to the sweet cherry fruit. Simple but satisfying, although not terribly refined. 86/100

Marques de Borba Branco 2012 Alentejo, Portugal
A blend of Arinto, Antao Vaz, Verdelho and Viognier. Fruity, bright and quite floral with lemon and citrus pith notes. Lively dry white. 87/100

Altano 2010 Douro, Portugal
Just 5 Euros. Sweet cherry and plum fruit with subtle tarry, resinous oak notes adding a savoury side to the sweet fruit. Very satisfying with some generosity. 88/100

Marques de Borba Tinto 2011 Alentejo, Portugal
5 Euros. Ripe, sweet and berryish with nice weight and lovely cherry and berry fruits.  Rips but balanced with some spicy complexity. 89/100

Monte Velho Branco 2012 Alentejo. Portugal
4 Euros. Antao Vaz, Roupeiro and Perrum (= Palomino). Lots of personality here: ripe pear and peach fruit with some melon richness. Sweetly fruited and rounded, with hints of tangerine. Very satisfying, a rich white but a fresh one too. 88/100

5 Comments on Some more great value Portuguese winesTagged
wine journalist and flavour obsessive

5 thoughts on “Some more great value Portuguese wines

  1. Nice to read about some wines that are here in Edmonton. DeVine Wines co-owner is from Portugal, yippee!

    Bob Alberta

  2. Some bargains indeed
    I have always liked the Crasto – although creeping up to £11/£12 in UK now – how much less than 10E was it Jamie?
    The Altano has been a bit more hit and miss for me – sounds like this vintage is a hit.

  3. The Pomares is being promoted by Avery’s in late September, along with other wines from Quinta Nova. Marques de Borba red and white can be obtained at Tannners in UK (the red is also available at Borough Wines) and from Classic Drinks in the Irish Republic.
    Hope this helps. Disclaimer – I am the Uk agent.

  4. Crasto 2011 will be on The Wine Society’s List in October at £8.50 (declared interest, I am the PR Manager).
    Monte Velho Branco already available at £6.50.

    Those Portuguese Euro prices make you want to cry! UK VAT 20%, Portugal VAT 13% (counts as ‘foodstuff’). UK duty £2 per bottle, Portuguese duty … er … zilch!

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