Have you ever heard of a red wine called Porca da Roca?
I can’t seem to find it anywhere, but I tasted it in Portugal.

Obviously, i understand the free reign you achieve by stating that these are YOUR 50 best wines, from Portugal.

I’m sorry if in any way, my comments displeased you, but i am slightly biased towards my wine making region. Hell, the french are outright snobs, when it comes to defend their crown, why can’t we?

But seriously, i have the utmost respect for your work, and other professionals in the field, simply because i can never achieve half those scents and mouth experiences you so much describe…

Being from Setubal, i find that the wines you described, are some of my favourites. S de Soberanas, from the Herdade das Soberanas, was one of the highlights of wine drinking in 2010. It’s marvellous. And yes, it does have a bit too much oak, but its younger brother, Soberanas, i find it to be almost perfect, in daily use.

But of course, speaking of Setúbal and not speak of the two big boys is ridiculous, JMF and Bacalhoa. And the interesting part, for my taste at least, is that could just sit on the bench, living off those past profits, but they are still on the fight!

You seem to love whites. Great! Me too. Please, try the Quinta da Bacalhoa white. It’s brilliant! It will be good now and most likely even better 2 years from now. It has quite a punch. Buttery and spicy.

As for the reds, Hexagon and Palácio da Bacalhoa, are my obvious choice. Hexagon is something unique, complex, subtle but powerful. It’s sibling, the FSF, is more the adult version of hexagon, the elder statesman, looking over is Mercedes trashing crazy brother! I love them both.

Palacio is monster of subtelty. I was amazed. I had tasted a great Niepoort wine, Redoma 2007 and altough(i tottaly recognize the genious of the man and some of the stuff he makes, is otherworldly! His Charme will forever be in my hart) they two very different beasts, i found Palacio to be equal in grace, if not more. Perhaps, only (from Niepoort again…) Batuta or Charme can go there, i don’t know…

Portocarro is the wildchild around these parts. Who would think of planting San Giovesse grapes around the sandy banks of the Sado river?! And yet, his Cavalo Maluco 2005 and Anima L6 and L7 aregreat, different….

Algarve… Quinta dos Vales Grace Vineyards, i found it to be good. Just good… We could go on forever…

The point of the matter is, in my opinion, that Porto and Douro is not the center of winemaking in Portugal. I realize that the sparkling light that becons from Niepoort, and Jorge Moreira, Van Zeller… hell, all of the Douro boys, is far too bright and appealing to let go.
In my honest opinion, its not the Alentejo, nor Douro or even my beloved Setúbal that have the greatest capacity or brightest future in wine making in Portugal. The axis Dão – Bairrada is unique in Portugal. Its the closest we will ever get to a Terroir driven wine,a truly french -like appelation, something so unique, that you must say after the first sip, “ahh, this from Bairrada/Dão”…

Continue the good work, even tough i might sometimes disagree with you!

Hugs and kisses from Portugal,
Pedro

Yes, I really like the title of 50 Great because it’s not the same as top wines and gives you lee-way to explore themes, which I identified in my introduction – terms of reference if you like.

I’d love to see other regions producing as consistently great and exciting wines as the Douro, but it remains my view that the Douro is the most consistent region and, in the tasting, I wanted to look at new developments there like white Douro wines, a sweetie and a new crop of well priced but class reds with great Douro typicity.

Other than that, I was very open to innovation but through a prism of quality. Setubal yes I really like the Bacalhoa but it wasn’t sigh-worthy enough and, more innovative wines – my “groundbreakers” – from the likes of Comporta, Soberana, Portocarro which I’ve tasted a number of times are impressive but for me trying to run a little hard before they can walk (ambitious oaking/extraction). Increased vine age I hope will bring greater finesse and balance with time. But what do you think – which Setubal wines would you have included? Ditto for the Algarve?

I’m a big fan of Madeira but fortified wines from here and the Douro did not qualify for the tasting. I was pleased to include the Moscatel to remind people that Portugal’s great fortifieds don’t just come from Madeira and the Douro (by the way my notes for this wine do mention that it won the Best moscatel in the World competition!?!?!?) Incidentally if I’d tasted Primeira Paixão Verdelho 2009 table wine from madeira among the several hundred wines I tasted for this exercise, it would have been in my 50 Great. So little time, so many wines!

Sarah

Lists, such as this, are as always, subjective.

You can always choose, being YOUR top 50 portuguese wines, to be slightly biased (the Douro, as usual…) but i can take it.

Now what i find hard to understand is the fact, that you seem to have skipped in its entiriety, the number 3 region in national sales, as far as reds and whites go. The Setúbal-Palmela region.

We(and by saying we, you can certainly guess where i’m from…) are not only a fortified wine region. We make an incredible amount of good, value for your money wines.

Where is the Palacio da Bacalhoa red, wich i’m sure you know, won one the most sought after wine events in Portugal. Hexagon, one of the finest and most original reds in the whole country, is looked over. And i could go on forever… I can certainly understand the Porto/Douro connection being so close to your english readers and consummers of such lists, but other than a massive Douro and Alentejo list, its thin.

If the idea was to help to show other regions to your readers, then you and the Wines of Portugal organization failed miserably. No Madeira, one from the Algarve, and no Setúbal-Palmela, other than the… of course, Moscatel! By the way did you mencioned, that that particular vintage, won the International Award for Best Moscatel in the World? Clearly not.

Well done, great job!! I’m glad they had you choosing your 50 great wines.
Hope to see you soon, it was great to taste and speak about wines with you.

Cheers,

Joao (Former sales manager for Raymond Reynolds)