Portuguese wine recommendations?

[vagporto]

Dear Flatbush: thanks for the kind note and please seriously consider the suggestion for visiting Porto and the Douro Valley (the River cruise is extremely nice, but somehow boring because there is not too much to see apart from the extremely beautiful river banks that are very steep and covered with vines). A 2 hour drive from Porto in September is all you need.

 

BTW, California central valley (where the Quady winery is located) is "dominated" by portuguese farmers (mainly from the Azores islands), so a port-style wine is something not entirely unexpected. However, are you aware that the "spirit" (we call it "aguardente", literally firewater) that is added to the Porto wine for fortification is the same for all the estates and is supplied by a central board of quality? Thus, what really distinguishes the Portos from two estates is merely the quality of the base wine, and not the taste of the spirit... It is very easy to alter the quality of a fortified wine by adjusting the spirit that is added, and that is a no-no in all certified Porto.

[Lori334]

We are on the Western Med Riviera cruise embarking in Lisbon in July. Okay, so I found a great wine and spirit shop just a few blocks from our hotel in Lisbon (Gotta love Google!) and I'm planning on getting some hard liquor and wine to carry onboard. However, I am not familiar with the local wines and I would love some input on some very good reds and whites from Portugal and Spain. This will take me all the way to France where I will be able to restock :D with French wines that will take me to Italy, where, yes, wait for it, I will switch to Italian reds! All input will be much appreciated. Price point is not an issue, I am out to experience the various regions' best. Thank you for sharing:cool::D!

 

Hello...Our cruise starts in Monte Carlo....We will be in Paris and Nice for a few days prior....I would appreciate some recommendations for reasonable reds and whites for France and Italy.

 

Thank you

Lori

[tvmovielover]

Wow, going to try the Portuguese Douro 2011 when we go this fall but I want to put in a good word for Vinho Verde here. Several years ago, we visited Lisbon in the fall when Vinho Verde is new. It was delicious with fresh fruit at the end of the meal and sometimes just on its own. It is not a fine wine. Like Beaujolais Nouveau (sorry did not check spelling), it is meant to be drunk young and is best in its first 6 months. It was just right on an Indian summer day or evening. I still remember drinking it with a juicy ripe peach.

[Mura]

We too enjoyed Vinho Verde when we drove through Portugal in 1984 and 1985. We're going back in June and will try it again. It's very refreshing on a warm day. But no, it's not a grand cru!!

 

Mura

[CleverScubaCruiser]

If you can, plan a side trip to Porto and spend some time in the cellars there. That's where we were introduced to and fell in love with Port.

[azam71209]

We have fond memories of drinking vinho verde at small restaurants along the seashore in Lisbon and Oporto. Wonderful with local grilled sardines, which are much larger than the little ones in cans that we get. Simple wine with a simple, local meal.

 

Mary

[Pet Nit Noy]

Also, if you have time in Lisbon be sure to go to the Port Wine Institute. It's a delightful respite after a day of touring. You can order one or two glasses of port of all sorts and prices, and just relax.

This may be excellent advice in Lisbon, but it is terrible advice in Porto itself. Our first visit to Porto, we were overwhelmed by the number of Port wineries and decided to go the central Institute rather than visit the individual wineries across the river. (Since the Port Institute was also located near the beautiful Palacio da Bolsa and the tile murals of the Sao Bento Train station, it seemed like a good idea to stay on the Porto side of the river and skip the trip to individual port wineries in Gaia. Repeat seemed.) In reality, the Port Institute offered only two set tastings for a fee and, at the end when we went to buy the tawny port we liked the best, the stockroom had none. We were with other couples and each of their favorite was out of stock as well. When we walked through the halls between the tasting room and the WC, we could see glass walled laboratories to our left and right. Since the tasting was a such a disappointment, once back in the tasting room, we asked if we could visit one of the laboratories and learn about the work going on there. Unfortunately, the answer was "no."

Fast forward two years: During our most recent visit to Porto, we went straight to the Taylor-Fladgate winery on the Gaia side of the river. This turned out to offer the experience we had hoped to have one our first visit. The visit began with a walk through the facility with an audio guide and excellent displays. The visit ended with a visit to the tasting room where the basic price of 12 Euro included nice pours of both the driest white port (Chip Dry) and Late Bottled Vintage red port. Both of these were very pleasant drinks, but we were aware they were not the best end of the spectrum of Taylor ports. For a by-the-glass fee, my husband and I purchased two of Taylor's ultra-high end ports: Limited Edition 1966 Single Harvest ($24) and 40-year Old Tawny Port ($20). Wow! Fabulous experience. The two tastes were different from one another and both were really that much better than the standard port offered as part of the tour. We were traveling with friends and no one else chose to buy extra tastings, but my husband and I decided we'd never buy a full bottle of these ultra high end ports and we doubted we'd find such quality port at a by-the-glass price. (Incidentally, buying from the most expensive end of the product line meant we got a bigger pour than the two standard ports.) I chose to pass on the most expensive port. I don't remember the name of this top of the line, but at $120 a glass, I found it easy to pass by.

We were traveling with three other couples, two of whom had also visited Porto in the past. That influenced our decision to stay for lunch at the Taylor Fladgate restaurant. Delicious food and beautiful views, but this would not be a good choice for people making their first trip to Porto if you still want to see the other important places in the city.

 

And that Port Institute where we had had a disappointing experience? We learned that the role of that institute is to test the port from all the wineries to make sure that the product that goes into the bottle is exactly what it claims to be. In the 40-year old port, for example, the liquid is not really all 40-years old. Some is much older wine mixed with younger wine. The average of the blend must be 40 years and those labs we saw during our first visit are where the testing takes place.

[patzimbo]

We are on the Western Med Riviera cruise embarking in Lisbon in July. Okay, so I found a great wine and spirit shop just a few blocks from our hotel in Lisbon (Gotta love Google!) and I'm planning on getting some hard liquor and wine to carry onboard. However, I am not familiar with the local wines and I would love some input on some very good reds and whites from Portugal and Spain. This will take me all the way to France where I will be able to restock :D with French wines that will take me to Italy, where, yes, wait for it, I will switch to Italian reds! All input will be much appreciated. Price point is not an issue, I am out to experience the various regions' best. Thank you for sharing:cool::D!

Hi from Cape Town ... where we also have some really great wines! And the capacity to actually enjoy drinking most of them! ;p

As we are on the Riviera 'Lisbon to Venice' cruise in July I tried to get some info on Portugeuse wines and came on this very good website. http://www.gncellar.com. They have a 'Chat to us Live' option and their advice was excellent. Not only that but they offer free delivery to your hotel.

 

By the way, I have just finished reading your postings from 2015. Great being able to get your experiences on our upcoming itinerary. Thanks - but you failed to finish with the promised offering. Darn!

Cheers, Pat

[Mura]

Re the Port Wine Institute:

 

This may be excellent advice in Lisbon, but it is terrible advice in Porto itself.

 

Interesting about the Oporto version of the Port Wine Institute. They sound totally different since the Lisbon version doesn't have anything like a tour, just a comfortable place to relax with a nice glass of port. I wasn't aware of an Institute in Oporto -- possibly it wasn't there when we were in Oporto because that was way back in 1985! We did take a winery tour there (I have no record of which one that was) which was quite good back then.