Portugal: Amazing People, Amazing Wine
Portugal – Amazing people making amazing wines!
Early in February I had the opportunity to travel to Portugal to visit wineries with Andrew and Mike from Oz Wine Company. This trip was an amazing opportunity – not only did we visit wineries we already do business with, but the trip also included some prospective wineries for Oz to add to their portfolio. I’m going to take you through some of the highlights
Quinta Varzea de Pedra – Here we met Tomás and his brother. Tomás has a background in graphic design but a passion for wine. It was truly amazing to see how the wines have progressed so quickly at such a young winery. The white wines were simply amazing – depth and complexity with amazing freshness. The reds have taken a turn from a heavy oak influence to a more fresh approach. We have the white blend and the varietal Fernão Pires in stock now – and we’re really excited about the 2019 Tinto Colheita which will be available early next year. These wines were a great early visit and were only outshined by the warmth and hospitality of the brothers!
Quinta Várzea da Pedra, Fernão Pires 2017
Quinta do Olival da Murta – Next on the trip were Joanna and Serra Oca wines. Joanna has been taking guidance from other Natural winemakers in the area (some of whom use the winery to make their wines) who take a low-intervention approach to winemaking. The result is fabulous wines that have balance, a sense of place, and a connection to the bio-diversity of the vineyard. Joanna grows strawberries, herbs and many other things on the property. We fell in love with the wines, but in particular the Castelão – an indigenous red varietal that reminds me of more savory wines like Aglianico and Mencía.
Quinta do Olival da Murta, Serra Oca Castelão 2018
Casa de Saima – now in the Bairrada – home of the grape Baga, we met up with Graça and checked out some fun new things from a winery that’s always been represented in the store. The Baga grape in this area really reminds me of Nebbiolo from Piedmont. The ability to get high acid and astringency makes for all the hallmarks of world class ageable wines. Come check out our new 100% Baga from Casa de Saima and see if you’re not transported to Italy like we were.
Casa de Saima Baga ‘Tonel 10’ 2018
Aphros – Biodynamic and amazing. Because of global warming, crisp, aromatic, dry white wines are getting hard to find. Many of our favorite producers in the Loire and Germany are having a hard time keeping sugar levels down. Enter Loureiro. Loureiro reminds me of classic Riesling – dry, aromatic, long mineral driven finish. Pick up the Aphros Loureiro the next time you’re craving a high acid, high toned, mineral driven wine to pair with your fatty raw seafood! The whole lineup is exceptional – but we’ll save that for a later post!
Aphros, Loureiro 2019
I am very thankful and humbled to be part of such an amazing trip – the stories, hard work and dedication of these producers is what makes me so happy to be a part of this business. I’m very excited for all of you to experience these unique producers through their outstanding wines.
