URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14044871/
A wine to make you consider Portuguese reds
Quinta do Alqueve's Tradicional's elegant taste lies somewhere between a Bordeaux and a Burgundy, making it perfect for sipping on warm afternoons.
By Edward Deitch
Wine columnist
July 26, 2006
The typical wine store may have a Portuguese red or two, but the wines are not in wide circulation and usually not displayed prominently on store shelves. Many American wine drinkers may not have much experience with them.
Portugal's whites are a different story. Fresh, inexpensive vino verde, or green wine, made from the alvarinho grape, as it is called there, is a summer mainstay. And the country is most famous, of course, for Port, the fortified wine that put Portugal on the wine map centuries ago.
All of which made it even more pleasing to discover a first-rate Portuguese red - the 2003 "Tradicional" from Quinta do Alqueve. One of the criticisms of red wines from Portugal has been that they can be Port-like, suffering from a baked, over-ripe quality. But that's increasingly less of an issue and is certainly not one here.
The wine - a great value at about $10 - is from Portugal's Ribatejo region, about 40 miles north of Lisbon. Quinta do Alqueve's Tradicional is a blend of four grapes: touriga nacional, tinta roriz (tempranillo in Spain), trincadeira and periquita. Now you can see why the names are not exactly household words.
To better understand Quinta do Alqueve's Tradicional, think of a wine that is somewhere between a Bordeaux and a Burgundy. It reminded me a little of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, on the one hand, and pinot noir on the other.
If you are looking for a powerful, high-alcohol wine, this isn't it. If it's lean elegance that you want, this one fits the bill beautifully. The aroma suggests a fruit orchard in the fall, a ripe earthiness that instantly takes the mind to such a setting.
It continues in the mouth, where plum and blueberry come into focus, along with a hint of powdered cocoa on the long finish. The wine is barrel-aged for 12 months, and the wood influence is subtle. It is softly tannic with good acidity and is drinking beautifully now.
Food matches should be on the simple side. It went nicely with a grilled pork chop and some buttered rice. Grilled chicken and cold sliced lamb would be good partners as well. The wine was also delightful to sip by itself, slightly chilled on a warm summer afternoon before lunch.
I also liked another red from Quinta do Alqueve - the 2003 "2 Worlds", which, as the name suggests, is a blend of Portuguese and so-called international varieties, in this case 50 percent touriga nacional and 50 percent cabernet sauvignon. The cabernet provides a more structured wine that went well with steak but was lighter than, say, a California cabernet sauvignon. The 2003 is the first release and it, too, is a bargain at $15. Both wines are imported by Robert Kacher Selections <http://www.robertkacherselections.com/> .
Edward Deitch's wine column appears Wednesdays. He welcomes comments from readers. Write to him at [email protected].
URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14044871/
Messages in this topic (1)
Quinta do Alqueve 03 - to make you consider Portuguese reds
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Mario Ferreira
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Mario Ferreira
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... and this is the link to watch a 2:36 minutes NBC Video presenting this Quinta do Alqueve 2003 - Vinho Regional Ribatejano, and also the 2 Worlds 2003, another wine from Quinta do Alqueve.
Please note a 15-second ad is shown before the beginning of the Alqueve video.
/MF/
Please note a 15-second ad is shown before the beginning of the Alqueve video.
/MF/
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Otto Nieminen
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Mario, thanks! I've recently tasted through some Alqueves thanks to Pekko Oksanen, their Finnish importer. Here are some I notes I took during the tastings:
Fernão Pires 2004
A delicious, unoaked, white. Very fresh and acidic but with a good core of fruit and a most delectable whiff of sea-breeze. Very good.
Chardonnay 2004 (90% Chardonnay, 10% Ariento)
Very oaky on the nose, but very good on the palate, with excellent acidity balancing the very vibrant fruit and oak. Long aftertaste with a hint of minerals creeping in. Good.
Nova Safra 2002 (Trincadeira, Castellão, Cabernet Sauvignon)
Though from a difficult year, the scent is very thick, almost jammy, oaky. The palate is thin compared to the scent, but in fine balance, with nice herbaceousness on the finish. Good.
Quinta do Alqueve Ancestral 2001
Very primary fruit, delectably vegetal, earthy, sweet red berries. The palate doesn't have the sweetness of the scent, but is deliciously herbal and savoury (something that Portuguese red varieties seem to always have), rather tannic and long. Very good.
Quinta do Alqueve Syrah 2001
An impressively deep nose: very oaky, yet it doesn't hide the other characteristics, sweet raspberry, tobacco, pepper. The palate was also oaky and extracted with plentiful soft tannins and fantastic acid balance. Long. A very impressive modern style Syrah.
Quinta do Alqueve Touriga Nacional / Syrah 2001
My favourite of the line-up. The scent was sweetly fruity, not as obviously oaky as the Syrah, with meaty, leathery and almost bloody scents, and a curious but very delectable hint of acacia-honey. The palate was again very fruity, but high in acid and pleasantly bitter. Very good potential.
Quinta do Alqueve Tardio 2003
This is a dessert wine made from Fernão Pires. The scent is most curious but very pleasant: pine kernels, citrus, green twigs. The palate was very high in both acid and sugar - in fine balance. Very good.
With dinner we had the above wines plus a taste of two 2003s and two blind wines.
Quinta do Alqueve Reserva 2003 (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Touriga Nacional)
Chocolate, red berries, oak. The palate was startlingly acidic compared to the scent, but still very fruity. Very fine, indeed.
Quinta do Alqueve Touriga Nacional / Syrah 2003
Cherry liqueur, chocolate, slight stables, good Cuban cigar. The palate was also very fruit forward, with decent levels of acidity, but not so fine as the 2001 - an impressive wine anyway.
The two blind wines were a nasty move :) No matter how good the QdA Syrah is, to my stereotypically old-world and oakophobe palate, it simply could not stand up to Jamet.
Jamet Côte-Rôtie 1999
The most nuanced scent during the whole night: bacon fat, flowers, pepper, sous bois, highly mineral, acidic red berries, animal, dung. The palate was very acidic and tannic, but with great reserves of fruit showing underneath, impeccable balance, highly mineral, and fantastically long. Excellent and by far my favourite wine this night.
Quinta do Alqueve Syrah 2001
Coming after the Jamet, this was all oak: vanilla and milk chocolate on the nose. The palate however had the typical European savoury herbaceousness. A very fine modern Syrah was my guess, but I couldn't say from where it was, but I did tentatively mention Guigal.
On another occasion I have tasted this:
Quinta do Alqueve Fernão Pires 2005
Sea breeze on the nose with some flowers and melon - rather Albariño-like. The palate, however, is weightier than Albariño. Limpid fruit, quite high but ripe and juicy acidity with a long and slightly mineral aftertaste. Very good. But I did like the 2004 better for its extra touch of freshness.
Fernão Pires 2004
A delicious, unoaked, white. Very fresh and acidic but with a good core of fruit and a most delectable whiff of sea-breeze. Very good.
Chardonnay 2004 (90% Chardonnay, 10% Ariento)
Very oaky on the nose, but very good on the palate, with excellent acidity balancing the very vibrant fruit and oak. Long aftertaste with a hint of minerals creeping in. Good.
Nova Safra 2002 (Trincadeira, Castellão, Cabernet Sauvignon)
Though from a difficult year, the scent is very thick, almost jammy, oaky. The palate is thin compared to the scent, but in fine balance, with nice herbaceousness on the finish. Good.
Quinta do Alqueve Ancestral 2001
Very primary fruit, delectably vegetal, earthy, sweet red berries. The palate doesn't have the sweetness of the scent, but is deliciously herbal and savoury (something that Portuguese red varieties seem to always have), rather tannic and long. Very good.
Quinta do Alqueve Syrah 2001
An impressively deep nose: very oaky, yet it doesn't hide the other characteristics, sweet raspberry, tobacco, pepper. The palate was also oaky and extracted with plentiful soft tannins and fantastic acid balance. Long. A very impressive modern style Syrah.
Quinta do Alqueve Touriga Nacional / Syrah 2001
My favourite of the line-up. The scent was sweetly fruity, not as obviously oaky as the Syrah, with meaty, leathery and almost bloody scents, and a curious but very delectable hint of acacia-honey. The palate was again very fruity, but high in acid and pleasantly bitter. Very good potential.
Quinta do Alqueve Tardio 2003
This is a dessert wine made from Fernão Pires. The scent is most curious but very pleasant: pine kernels, citrus, green twigs. The palate was very high in both acid and sugar - in fine balance. Very good.
With dinner we had the above wines plus a taste of two 2003s and two blind wines.
Quinta do Alqueve Reserva 2003 (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Touriga Nacional)
Chocolate, red berries, oak. The palate was startlingly acidic compared to the scent, but still very fruity. Very fine, indeed.
Quinta do Alqueve Touriga Nacional / Syrah 2003
Cherry liqueur, chocolate, slight stables, good Cuban cigar. The palate was also very fruit forward, with decent levels of acidity, but not so fine as the 2001 - an impressive wine anyway.
The two blind wines were a nasty move :) No matter how good the QdA Syrah is, to my stereotypically old-world and oakophobe palate, it simply could not stand up to Jamet.
Jamet Côte-Rôtie 1999
The most nuanced scent during the whole night: bacon fat, flowers, pepper, sous bois, highly mineral, acidic red berries, animal, dung. The palate was very acidic and tannic, but with great reserves of fruit showing underneath, impeccable balance, highly mineral, and fantastically long. Excellent and by far my favourite wine this night.
Quinta do Alqueve Syrah 2001
Coming after the Jamet, this was all oak: vanilla and milk chocolate on the nose. The palate however had the typical European savoury herbaceousness. A very fine modern Syrah was my guess, but I couldn't say from where it was, but I did tentatively mention Guigal.
On another occasion I have tasted this:
Quinta do Alqueve Fernão Pires 2005
Sea breeze on the nose with some flowers and melon - rather Albariño-like. The palate, however, is weightier than Albariño. Limpid fruit, quite high but ripe and juicy acidity with a long and slightly mineral aftertaste. Very good. But I did like the 2004 better for its extra touch of freshness.