Wink Lorch Wine Travel GuidesCatavino’s well-researched and lively posts about Iberian wine regions make essential reading for any wine lover, especially those planning a wine tour to Spain or Portugal.
For those of you who are caught up on your Catavino reading, you are most likely familiar with a recently contributed article on regarding a tasting with Quinta de Ventozelo’s wines paired with a wild mushroom soup alongside a tender piece of braised duck. The meal was absolutely fantastic, beautifully enhanced by all three Quinta […] Continue Reading →
The four wines we lined up on our dining room table were paired with a traditional Portuguese dish called, Portuguese Porco Alentejana. The result was, as always, delicious. I loved how the tender bits of pork and crunchy cubed potatoes married perfectly with the smoky paprika broth. I especially liked the sprig of parsley adorning […] Continue Reading →
We knew we had to go big with our Wine Blog Wednesday entry. We debated and debated over the subject, unclear as to exactly what approach we should take. Do we go with a region, a varietal, a style? With well over 40 bottles of Portuguese wine still sprawled out on our dining room floor, […] Continue Reading →
The region of Bairrada occupies no more than 10,000 hectares, fractioned off by cooperatives and small producers like Quinta do Encontro. Although the region has been producing wine since the 10th Century, it wasn’t until the 19th century until it became a quality wine producing region as a result of one man’s efforts. António Augusto […] Continue Reading →
Jancis Robinson recently posted a report on how the 2007 Portuguese Harvest is shaping up. Her overall impression was that the unusually cool and rainy temperatures have, fortunately, affected the quantity of the yield more than the quality of the wine. She then followed up her report with direct quotes from the winemakers. Considering our […] Continue Reading →
The time has finally come to say “adeiu” to August, to long bright summer days, and to our month long dedication to Portuguese wines. As we look back over the month with excitement as to what we learned, I think it’s important to ask ourselves, “Was it worth dedicating an entire month to one subject?” […] Continue Reading →
It was chilly last night, really chilly. As the sun set upon Terrassa, and the yellow hues faded to a reddish glow that cascaded upon our livingroom floor as if someone spilled a bucket of crimson paint, Ryan and I looked at each other internally agreeing with a roll of our eyes that the last […] Continue Reading →
While in Portugal, I had the chance to taste Quinta de Darei’s wines at Sala Ogival with Jose Cunha, the nephew of the winery owner. Bought in 1997 after 2 decades of abandonment, the current owners are intent in reviving old traditions and to become, what they hope, is a prestigious Dão wine producer. After restoring and utilizing old stone lagars, the current wines abide by century old traditions of being foot trodden and contain native Dão grape varietals such as: Alforcheiro, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Jaen for reds, and Encruzado, Bical and Arinto in the white wine production. Small productions and a desire to make award winning wines has led to the creation of two wines with another expected to be launched this year.
Portugal equals Port wine, right?! This statement is dead on for so many of you, but this wasn’t the case if we go back a few generations. In the 1940s, there were two brands that epitomized Portuguese wine to the global market: Mateus and Lancers. Both wines were presented in uniquely shaped bottles that appeared […] Continue Reading →
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