I’m originally from Yorkshire, so it was great to be on home turf, not least because the event led to my discovery of Halifax Wine Company. In my day, there was nowt so sophisticated in Halifax, but owner, former chef and sommelier Andy Paterson – a thoroughly nice guy – has a truly heart-warming selection of diverse wines and, get this, specialises in Portugal, Spain and Tokaji! Whether Yorkshire-based or not, you can buy wines via his website.
I’m planning to run a Portuguese tasting as soon as Poiera 2003 is shipped, so keep your eye on the website for details or subscribe to receive details direct to your inbox.
Quinta de Murta 2003 Bucelas Denominaç?o de Origem Controlada (DOC) – mostly Arinto grapes with a dash of Esgana C?o grapes – very fresh ‘n fruity but dry style. Its apricot nose follows through on the palate with honeysuckle notes and a zesty streak of lime – if you fancy a change from sauvignon blanc or riesling, give this a whirl – £5.99 Halifax Wine Company
Quinta dos Roques Encruzado 2003, D?o DOC – the Encruzado grape is acknowledged to be the quality grape variety of the D?o and Quinta dos Roques’ rendition is iconic. Its Burgundian bottle tells a story – this is weighty and complex with ripe lemony fruit and ripe pineapple chunks in 2003; nutty/resinous hints on the finish together with custard creams (oak vanillin) – £9.95 – Halifax Wine Company
Luis Pato Vinha Barrosa 1998 Bairrada DOC - the Baga grape variety is compared with nebbiolo on account of its high tannin and austerity in its youth; with age, it segues into a pinot-noir’esque style. With several years under its belt this is still in its nebbiolo phase (austere, spicy and structured) with hints of pinot noir (black cherry and damson) – very much a food wine which finds no better match than the region’s suckling pig – £20.45 – Halifax Wine Company
Espor?o Vinho Tinto Reserva 2001 Alentejo DOC Reguengos, A blend of Trincadeira, Aragonês and Cabernet Sauvignon this Southern Portuguese red is a supple, spicy, fruit-driven wine with briary fruit and a nice lick of oak. Aussie winemaker David Baverstock makes terrific wines and this is well worth seeking out as an alternative to New World spicy red wines – £8.99 Waitrose
Quinta da Terra Feita de Cima, Poeira 2002 Douro DOC, Port varieties – I’ve written up this wine before and its understated elegance really appeals to me – as winemaker Jorge Moreira puts it: “I want to make an elegant and balanced wine, not a heavy, tannins, boring wine. Generally speaking the Douro wines are based on tannin [it’s not hard with low yields and hot temperature to get small, thick skinned grapes for big tannins], while Poeira is based on the acidity”. £26.00 Halifax Wine Company. While the 2003 is inevitably more fruit led given the vintage, it has Jorge’s hallmark restraint and elegance – a beauty!
Chryseia 2003 Douro DOC 2003 – another Douro favourite, this one produced by Bruno Prats of Cos d’Estournel fame working with the Symington family of Port houses Grahams, Warre & Dow amongst others. Another Douro red with lots of finesse and good structure – markedly spicy with smoky, rich fruit and lifted raspberry and violet notes.
J Portugal Ramos Quinta da Vicosa 2002 Alentejo DOC – Ramos’ secret weapon is Petit Verdot (the salt and pepper grape of Bordeaux) which shows a polished performance here in tandem with Aragonez (a.k.a. Tempranillo). Rich and extracted, it wears its 14.% % abv very well!
J Portugal Ramos Marques de Borba Reserva 2000 Alentejo DOC – a lovely, spicy, supple, satisfying red; rich, ripe, structured and mellow – an armchair wine.
