Exploring Portuguese Wines

I was lucky enough to attend the Vini Portugal tasting at the recent wine bloggers conference in Sonoma. I had been looking forward to this particular tasting for a couple of reasons.

1.I have not tasted as many Portuguese wines as I would like.
2.The Portuguese wines I have tasted have been delicious and different.
3.We would be tasting wines from Napa and Sonoma all weekend and I relished the change of style and pace.
4. I have been drinking the light crisp Vinho Verde wine from Portugal all summer and need to break out of my comfort zone.


The dynamic duo from Spain , Gabriella and Ryan Opaz, of Catavino were the event organizers.
The lineup was extensive and impressive.
Especially several interesting wines made from touriga nacional. This is the grape to watch for when buying red table wine from Portugal.

But my favorite producer was Quevedo.
Oscar Quevedo was a gentle and intelligent young man.
He is in the process of converting his vineyards to organic farming.

Quevedo Vintage Port 2005 $49.99
Rich dark color. Flavors of blackberry and plum with a touch of earthy, salty flavors (like a splash of worcestershire). Drink it with a a chocolate tart with fresh raspberry sauce.

Quevedo Rose Port 2007

This was the absolute stunner of the tasting. Beautiful salmon color. Bright flavors of fresh summer strawberries and cherries. Delicious chilled on its own. But I heard that mixing it with tonic and lime makes for a killer summer cocktail.