Why Portuguese Red Blends Fly Off The Shelves | Hannah Crosbie On Drinks

It has travel to my attraction that I haven’t written a file dedicated to red vino successful almost 2 months. So writer maine – it’s been hot. Mercifully, though, temperatures look to beryllium dropping soon, truthful we tin erstwhile again cup nan vessel of a vino solid without worrying astir it getting a small warmer arsenic its aromas unfasten.

To thief america wean ourselves disconnected sprightly rosés and buttery whites, let’s move our heads to easy-drinking reds – and nary are much easy to portion aliases of nan infinitesimal than Portuguese reddish blends. These wines are uniquely suggestive of nan country’s winemaking history, pinch much than 250 autochthonal grapes (some of which person different names from region to region), but I’d wager that galore of america wouldn’t beryllium capable to sanction galore much than 2 of these indigenous varieties. To commencement pinch there’s nan sumptuous baga, touriga nacional (widely considered to beryllium Portugal’s good reddish grape variety) and castelão, which yields a assortment of styles, but that’s conscionable a handful, and it’s very apt you’ve drunk 1 aliases each of them before.

Why, then, are Portuguese azygous varietal wines (that is, those featuring only 1 type of grape) truthful difficult to travel by? There are a fewer reasons for this. First, alleged “vineyard” aliases “field blends” are truthful communal successful Portugal because aged vines of different varieties are often planted broadside by side, alternatively than separated by type, arsenic successful astir commercialized vineyards. It’s truthful nan norm present to make blends, which is simply a acold easier action than nan painstaking process of separating harvests aliases moreover replanting full vineyards.

Then there’s nan truth that astir drinkers simply aren’t arsenic acquainted pinch Portuguese grape varieties arsenic they are pinch those of different countries. Sinéad Murdoch, sommelier astatine nomadic London edifice Tasca, has worked 4 harvests successful nan country, and has consistently put its section blends connected her lists complete nan years, truthful why does she deliberation they’re truthful popular? “Customers are now utilized to seeing nan words ‘field blend’,” she explains, “while Portuguese vino has boomed successful nan UK acknowledgment to its awesome worth and to tourism, but astir group still aren’t acquainted pinch nan autochthonal grapes, which tin put them off. If I database a vino arsenic 100% baga, only a fewer funny guests are apt to inquire astir it, because astir customers prime a reddish they know. When it’s a blend, however, group opportunity they emotion a Portuguese blend and it flies disconnected nan shelves!”

They’re besides superb value: “Modal Wines, for instance, sells a tinto blend bag-in-box to restaurants that useful retired to astir £7 a bottle, which is simply a no-brainer for an easy-drinking and besides delicious wine.”

Four Portuguese reds to pique your interest

Sainsbury’s Taste nan Difference Portuguese Lisboa Red Wine £7.75, 13.5%. A spicy and afloat blend of syrah, touriga nacional and tinta roriz.

No 1 Douro Valley Reserva Quinta da Rosa Portugal £15 Waitrose, 13.5%. Produced exclusively for Waitrose, this is simply a medium-bodied, oak-aged reddish pinch acheronian bramble fruit.

Adega de Borba Convento da Vila 2022 £14.50 The Sourcing Table, 13.5%. Trincadeira, aragonez, castelao and touriga nacional spell into this soft blend.

Folias de Baco Uivo Vinhas Velhas £28 Modal Wines, 12%. A operation of 10 different grape varieties, aged successful tube for much 3 years.