Leichte Weisslichkeiten aus Lusitanien

Über die letzten Wochen habe ich einige zur Leichtigkeit neigende weisse Portugiesen verkostet ... und natürlich getrunken. Folgend nun eine kleine und für meine Verhältnisse ungewohnt kurze (glücklicherweise) Zusammenfassung ... 

Portugal's Plenty Primeira Parte

As you guys already know in recent weeks (or months, actually) I made a couple of palatal journeys to Switzerland. At least one pending part ahead, I'd like to start another palatal trip. This one will bring me to Portugal's Plenty. Today I'd like to start this personal voyage to the Lusitanian wine bounty with vinhos from the two most well know viticulture regions: Dao and Douro. For starters there was the equally famous and very reasonable Tinto from Quinta das Maisas 2008 and the well distributed Casa de Santar Reserva 2003. From Douro a little bit more north I spent a little while with the still very juvenile Terra a Terra Reserva Tinto 2009 and the Teutonically implulsed Campo Ardosa 2003 from Quinta da Carvalhosa. Let's take a peek ...

Happening Now Tasting 9: Jose Maria Da Fonseca Terras Altas Garrafeira Tinto 1992, Dao

Like the frequent reader of this blog might have already realized – the author is lazy. Some lazy snobby wine-bastard! So, no real surprise that I have no detailed research outcome at hand. Several reasons: Reason No. 1: José Maria da Fonseca is a humongously large and super well known wine producer with domains all over Portugal -> so, no need for an introduction! Reason No. 2: I assume Dão is a prominent name for all interested readers. The others won't come far enough to read this very sentence - I guess! I think, I can permit myself to anticipate: Those dropouts miss something!!! Reason No. 3.: Due to my overall wine oriented incompetence I simply could not find a lot input about this very well know wine! Well, in my defense … apparently, since 1996 there is a substantial difference compared to today's Terras Altas wines from J.M.d.F. So, not that easy to proper info. The only knowledge I can drop is: grown on slate soil and red blend of the autochtonous grape varieties: Jaen, Alfrocheiro Preto, Cabernet Sauvignon (obviously no auto') and Touriga Nacional. Anyway, at least not so much reading today! I hope I can keep up this conciseness in the future ;-)

Too Classical? Caves São João Porta dos Cavaleiros Reserva Seleccionada 1995, Dao

Something aged for a change? There we go: The Porta dos Cavaleiros Reserva Seleccionada from Caves São João, one of the oldest large wine cellars in Bairrada, is one of the Dao Classics. In general this wine is produced from the autochthonous grape varietals Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Baga and Bastardo and sometimes stored in large Portuguese oak barrels and following bottle-aging for up to 10 years and more. Depending on the maturity and mellowness of the actual vintage.