2 days in Douro

Next Monday and Tuesday, I will be in Douro for some visits, so i will get back with some tasting notes and photos from those days.
Just to tease you, i will be tasting the new wines from Quinta do Crasto, Niepoort, Quinta de la Rosa, Poeira and Lavradores de Feitoria.

Seen you soon........

Read more...

2007 Vintage Port is coming to town

No, this is not fresh news for most of you but probably someone who doesn't follow the news might find this helpful.

Well, 2007 Vintage Ports are being released as i write this words, but only a bunch of producers already have the wines in the shelves, as a lot of them will release their wines in October.

Let me talk about this vintage, and how special it is. Usually the best years for a Vintage Port are those real hot years where the grapes tend to get over maturation, but 2007 wasn't like that, was really fresh most of the year, even August was fresher than usually and September was quite dry. What makes it special is that in a great year for still wines in Douro, we've got beautiful Ports too. A rare case of a vintage that is excellent for the two kind of wines. Speaking with a lot of producers and winemakers, all said that they would have to go back for a long time to find a vintage like this, and even some didn't find any.
Almost all Port Houses declared Vintage Port in 2007. I tasted some of them, at least the major players and was stunned with the wines. We will not have those "brutal" Ports like in 2003, but instead, wines of powerful but with some elegance too. Some of the wines, like the Niepoort vintage 2007, for example, are quite approachable right now, but they have a lot of tannins, a lot of structure and acidity to keep them alive for decades. In sum, an amazing year for Ports, and still wines, in Douro.
From the ones i tasted, just take a look at Dow's, Niepoort, Noval, Warre (quite a surprise), and Taylor's. You won't get disappointment on these wines, that's for sure. I will leave you with a video, where Dirk Niepoort talks about Vintage Port in 2007.



Cheers

Read more...

Port in Pink?

Probably some of you already heard about this, as this is not fresh news, but it's time for me to talk about this wine.
I always considered myself a little traditionalist considering Port, after all, Port it's a kind of a traditional wine, with lots of culture and a little closed, until now, for some creativity.
I really understand why Taylor's, the first producer to put a Pink Port in the market, and one of the most traditional producers in Port, "invented" this wine. It's time to get some new consumers and introduce themselves to Port Wine.
I think the target will be mostly young people, specially women, who doesn't know anything about Port, that are spending a lot of time in discos and bars, wasting time with shots of vodka, tequila, or anything else. Port is a fortified wine, which means a wine with a lot of alcohol, and with all those propaganda against wine and alcohol beverages, port will tend to be less consumed.
But what's a Pink Port? Well, in a few words you can consider a Pink Wine but in this case, fortified. What is it like? Well, this was made to be a easy drink to be consumed early, as a casual drink, in the beginning of a meal, as an aperitif. You can join this port with some ice, some tonic water, or whatever you think it will go well. Just enjoy it fresh, really fresh, and i think you all will like it. I really do, when forgetting a little bit my traditional mind, and thinking it as a joy, casual, fresh and uncompromising Port.
I will recommend Croft Pink and Quevedo Rosé Port, as these great examples of this wine is meant to be.

Cheers

PS - Don't you ever forget this: Wine is probably the best drink in the world, but only when consumed with moderation.

Read more...