portuguese blend with some unique grapes

Grão Vasco Red Wine (2004)
Grão Vasco/Sogrape Vinhos
Aragonês | Trincadeira | Alicanta Bouschet | Touriga Nacional | Jaen | Alfrocheiro Preto | Tinto Pinheira
Dão, PORTUGAL

Aside from Port, I don't think many people think of Portugal as being a major wine producing country. That or they often get lumped in with Spanish wines. This is certainly unfortunate especially because most of the still wine made in Portugal is made from native grape varieties. This Grão Vasco for example has (at least) seven different grapes in it, only a few of which I think I've actually had. I'll talk more about the different grapes below.

This blend was paired up with a light calamari dish I had served with mushrooms, citrus, and capers. Here's what I thought:

Appearance: Clear pale wine, bright ruby red in color.

Nose: Clean with some age development, soft to medium aromas of red fruit, cherry, raspberry. Complimented by deeper notes of violet, mint, tobacco, and leather.

Palate: A dry wine with medium alcohol, body, and tannin - it tightens your cheeks a little but then softly lets go. Flavors of raspberry and cherry paired with vanilla, smoke, spice, and a little yeastiness.

Overall this was a really nice pairing with the food because it is not super heavy. The wine was aged entirely in stainless steel as opposed to oak, so there wasn't a lot of added tannin, and those derived from the grapes were soft. The subtle earthiness paired well with the mushrooms, and the soft acidity complimented the orange zest and capers.

As for the grapes found in this blend, there are a couple that may be more familiar by other names. Aragonês is the Portuguese name for Spain's flagship grape Tempranillo. In fact this grape has a huge number of pseudonyms. Another familiar variety will be Jaen - known elsewhere as Mencía. This is the grape that started it all here at oe•no•phile in my first post!

Of all the grapes, Touriga Nacional is one of Portugal's primary grapes. In fact, the region this wine is from (the Dão DOC) requires at least 20% of a blend to be Touriga. It is also commonly used for making Port. Lending to the raspberry and spice is also Trincadeira, plus some added fruitiness and tanning from Alicante Bouschet. Finally, other characteristics including the mint are likely from Alfrocheiro Preto.

I would recommend this wine as a replacement for other light bodied reds - Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, or Gamay for example. Paired up with cheeses, light dishes, and even fish this would make a good table wine.

Cheers!

wine that makes you lisp

Baltos (2005)
Dominio de Tares
Mencía
Bierzo Alto

The first time I tried Baltos was at La Cave du Vin in Cleveland Heights. I was out with some friends, and asked the bartender there for something "different." He had just gotten a shipment in by accident, but decided to use it until it was gone. The glass he returned with struck me with a plethora of fruity aromas, but intrigued me with an undertone of what I can only best describe as being barn-yardy or mousy. Always interested in exploring wines that might not be seen as widely popular, I relieved our host of two bottles before leaving.

I thought it appropriate that my debut post should concern this seldom heard of grape. Mencía, whose name lends itself wonderfully to the charming Castilian lispy resonances - men-thee-ah - is a red grape variety found predominantly in Bierzo, a subregion of the province of León in north west Spain. It was once believed to be Cabernet Franc, and has also been compared to Pinot Noir with its juxtaposition of fruit and animal characteristics.

Appearance: My glass of Baltos exhibited a very purplish ruby color, and was clear with medium intensity - I could still read text on a page through it, but just barely. There was also a great deal of staining on the legs.

Nose: Clean nose with moderate intensity, and different levels of aromas. Red fruit, including red cherry, raspberry; Vegetal including mushroom, mint, and spice; Also leather, earth, and the aforementioned barn-yard/mousiness.

Palate: Dry medium bodied wine. Bright sour cherry acidity, and softly lingering tannins. Other flavors included bitter almond, licorice, and dried fruits. The fruit falls a little short on the finish, but does not seem faulty.

Dominio de Tares indicates on their website that the primary vineyard for the grapes used is located in Valtuille de Abajo. Consulting a map, I realize I probably walked right past this town between Cacabelos and Villafranca de Bierzo during my Camino de Santiago in 2007.


View Larger Map

I do find this wine to be extremely interesting, and would recommend it to anyone looking to try an obscure old-world red. I've not had much luck finding other Mencía-based wines, though I know there is at least one available in my area at our local Whole Foods. I don't recall that its quality was as good as the Baltos, but I will definitely have to give it a second go. I think Spanish wines are really worth exploring, especially after spending some time there myself. Sure, you'll try 18 dozen Tempranillos, but now and then you'll find a grape to write home about.

Cheers!