Herdade, Grand Reserva, 2006, Portugal
Made with a blend of Touriga National and Syrah this Grand Reserva from Herdade is Pretty good, sure at £25 a bottle is not cheap but there is quality. It’s a bold wine with plenty of tannins, very dry with massive flavours of plum, blackcurrant, vanilla, oak and chocolate coming through. There are hints of leather and smokiness that are all really well integrated and after 16 years it’s incredibly drinkable.
Dows, Late Bottled Vintage Port, 1997, Portugal
A bottle of Dows, Late Bottled Vintage Port, from Portugal is probably standard in many British households at Christmas and this year we opened a 1997 bottle. I know that a late bottled vintage port is not the same as leaving a vintage port, this basically got left behind.
That said it tastes exactly what it should taste like i. It was smooth, it had some really good plum, red, black fruit flavours, nice sweetness in there and it really well with the cheese and biscuits course, so much so that the whole bottle went. And the best thing is at about £8 a bottle at the supermarkets a Dows port is good value
Herdade Penedo Gordo, Monte Penedo Gordo, Reserva, 2014, Portugal
Bold, dry and reasonably smooth this is another good red wine from Portugal. You get lots of aroma, black fruit, oak, earthy with hints of leather. The flavour is pretty full on with spice and vanilla joining lots of fruit with a decent finish and good blance.
Ar Eur15 a bottle its on the mark for value. Its a good posh BBQ wine.
Smith Woodhouse, 1988, Madalena, Vintage Port, Portugal
I love port, esp vintage port and this Smith Woodhouse 33 year port is pretty good. There’s aromas of leather, black cherry, chocolate and spice with additional flavours plum, blackberry, toffee and a silk like texture.
Late bottle vintage and normal port are more velvet in texture, this is more delicate but with plenty of depth. Its not in the same league as a Grahams or Taylors vintages of the 70’s or 80’s but its well worth trying.
Beyra, Superior Tinto, 2017, Portugal
Portuguese wine has got an excellent reputation for quality because even the so-called bad wines are cut above other countries wines of similar type. This one from Beyra is different.
It’s a bold and dry why red but at the same time really rather smooth with reasonable nose of red fruit hints of liquorice a well integrated tannins that are apparent when you taste it. You get hints of chocolate and liquorice, oak and spice. It’s not that there’s a lot necessary going on, but what you get is well integrated.
I really liked this wine, it only got a bronze at the 2019 the Decanter World Wine Awards but I think it was worth a lot more, maybe not gold but crumbs a silver surely.
Little Odisseia, Tinto, 2016, Douro Valley, Portugal
Little Odisseia from the Douro Valley, Portugal is another solid red wine from a country that doesn’t seem to produce any bad stuff.
There are notes of tobacco, black fruit and leather with hints of mushrooms. This is a dry, bold wine with firm tannins that give structure. Its not fancy or complex but you get is a wine that is not going to embarrass you, just drink it or have it with a steak.
Well done to the wine maker, a wine to order by the case because at £7 a bottle its excellent value.
Cottas, Vinho Tinto, Portugal
Its hard to find a bad bottle of Portuguese red wine, they just keep delivering good value, drinkable red’s and this one from Cottas is no exception.
A deep red colour with aromas and flavours of black fruit, blackberries and blackcurrant. Its dry, reasonably smooth and got plenty of flavour. More important its very easy to drink and cheap. At £6 a bottle is great value.
Quinta Do Crasto, LBV Port, 2005, Portugal
Buy is my recommendation on this Quinta Do Crasto, LBV Port, 2005 from Portugal.
Yes its 15 years old and should have been open much earlier but it still had a fresh flavour drive smell and taste, lots black fruit, tobacco, oak, raisins, very smooth and pretty rich but with structure and longitivity.
At £20 its not expensive and it does deliver all round.
I love Port and this offering from C da Silva with their Presidential, LBV Port, 2013 is better than most, excellent in fact. Made with 33% Touriga Franca, 33% Touriga Nacional, 34% Roriz there are aromas of wood and spice with flavours of plums and sour cherry, a richness with long lasting tastes make it better than most LBV Ports. At £15 a bottle it’s worth paying extra.
C da Silva, Presidential, LBV Port, 2013, Portugal