Quinta Do Judeu Red 2008 Portugal

Country / Region : Douro Valley, Portugal

Year : 2008

Grape Variety : 15 Varieties including Touriga Nacional / Touriga Franca / Tinta Roriz / Tinta Barroca / Tinto Cão / Tinta Amarela / Tinta Francisca / Sousão

Style : Full, Complex Red

ABV : 14.5%

Drink By : 2021

Price : €21 to €23 RRP

The Winemakers

From 1932 Quinta do Judeu has belonged to Alves de Carvalho family and its name is due to the existence of a roman Jewish statue on its roof. It is a center of excellence in winemaking combining the latest technology available for the development of extremely high quality wines with traditional practices, such as grapes treading in granite tanks (lagares).

Quinta do Judeu owns 3 estates in the Douro Valley with a total of 27 hectares of vineyards, only with native Douro varieties. The vineyards, with an age up to 80 years old, comprise of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela, Malvasia Fina, Rabigato, Viosinho, Gouveio and Arinto. The old vines, red and white, with its diverse and mixed varieties, some of which rare and unknown, constitute an enormous Douro asset that Quinta do Judeu will maintain and share.

The Wine

Dark Red Colour. Classic Douro aroma, full of character and complexity. Ripe fruit, spice and a light toast and coffee from the barrels. In the palate it shows full body with a strong personality and a solid structure of tannins, embracing some black ripe fruit. Long and harmonious finish.

Unfiltered so it should be decanted.

Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels and a further 1 year in bottle.

Awesome Portugal

The very first wines imported by Wine Alliance when we started were from Portugal. Not perhaps the obvious first choice but there was something about the wines and the wineries that really clicked with us and of course the price / quality ratio was (and still is) off the charts.

I’m just back from a quick trip to see my two main wineries in Setubal and the Douro Valley. It was a lovely trip with many highlights. My darling wife and fellow director of Wine Alliance came along to meet the wineries and see first hand why I get so excited about Portuguese wines. Well, they certainly rolled out the red carpet.

A short spin from Lisbon brought us to the Santo Isidro do Pegoes winery. Eva, our wonderful guide brought us to one of their best vineyards and it was very impressive. Lots of grape varieties there including Touriga Nacional,  Castelao, Alicante Bouchet, Tinta Roriz, Chardonnay, Arinto to name a few. The list goes on and on. The vineyard manager has worked there for over 40 years.

A full tour of the winery followed and we finished off with a lovely tasting of a cross section of wines from their impressive range accompanied by local meats, breads and cheeses. The single varietal wines really impressed and samples are on their way with my order that leaves this week.

A four hour drive the following day took us to the beautiful town of Peso Do Regua in the Douro Valley, home of Quinta Do Judeu. Its owner, Andre Marinho Pinto brought us to a lovely local restaurant across the river from one of his three vineyards, the beautiful Covelinhas. We piled into Andres jeep and climbed the incredibly steep and terrifying roads to the very top of the estate.

Now, people always say that the views in the Douro are incredible but nothing can really prepare you for the absolute jaw dropping scale of it. Stunning scenery as far as the eye can see. Each of his amazing vineyards left us in awe at the sheer beauty of this incredible part of the world.

So a wonderful trip. What impressed, apart from the incredible beauty of the country was of course the quality of the wine. The Douro is known more for its ports and rich red wines but it was the whites that perhaps surprised the most. Marvelous complex wines that offer amazing value. The reds ( and ports) were awesome too naturally.

Most of all though, it was the people that left the biggest impression. The generosity and warmth of the hospitality was amazing and you can see the obvious pride in their vineyards, wineries and of course their wines. I would heartily encourage you to visit this amazing part of the world if you get a chance. It will astound you.

The Love Bench

I had the above photo on the desktop of my laptop up to last weekend. It’s a stunning photo of the Douro Valley showing a little bench in the Canelas vineyard of Quinta Do Judeu. It’s called the Love Bench and local tradition says that if you sit there with your loved one, then you will never be apart . Like Andre, the owner of Quinta Do Judeu said “I dont know if its true, but I tried it just to be sure !

I went to see this amazing view in person last week to sit on the bench with Regina, the person I married 15 years ago today.  I reckon it was better than just getting a card. But I got one of those too just in case. And some wine.

Oh by the way, here is my new desktop picture. Thanks for taking the photo Andre !

A quick update and the stunning São Leonardo da Galafura

I’ve been on Facebook, Twitter and the blog a little less of late due to a very hectic travel schedule. I’ve been driving the highways and byways of Ireland spreading the Wine Alliance gospel, doing customer tastings, selling wine and looking after the day to day running of the company.

I’m just back from visiting two of my Portuguese suppliers and will be doing a proper blog on the trip shortly, once I’ve caught up on the backlog !

People have been asking me if its a nice place to visit. So to answer the question, look at this very short video of São Leonardo da Galafura near the Quinta Do Judeu Covelinhas vineyard in the Douro Valley.

(Apologies for the camerawork, I was conscious of not falling off the wall. Bit of a drop on the other side !)

Adega de Pegões Touriga Nacional 2010 Portugal

Country / Region : Setubal, Portugal

Year : 2010

Grape Variety : 100% Touriga Nacional

Style : Full,  Spicy Red

ABV : 14%

Drink By : 2021

Price : €14 to €16 RRP

The Winemakers

Pegões, established in 1958, is a modern and competitive winery recognised both in domestic and international markets. Pegões wines have been distinguished with several awards at the most important international wine contests.
ith a vineyards area of 2.200 acres, they follow a systematic strategy of modernization with the key objective of continuously improving the quality and value of their wines.

The Pegões Terroir is located between two Nature Reserves – the Tagus estuary to the Northwest and the Sado on the Southwest, on the east side of the Arrabida hills and on the west side of the Alentejo province clays. The Pegões region is unique in climate and soil conditions.

The climate is Mediterranean and the soil, named “Pliocenico de Pegões”, is sandy formed over millions of years by sand transported by the rivers Tagus and Sado. It is this climate / soil combination that gives birth to the unique Pegões wines.

The Wine

Floral notes, characteristics of the variety with some spices and matured fruit, soft but present tannins.  Full bodied with lovely length.

10 months in American and French oak barrels, followed by 4 months in bottles, before it is released on the market

Perfect with Game, Grilled / Roasted  Meats & Cheeses

Winner of 140 International Wine Awards

Jamie Goode  “Possibly Portugals Best Co Op”

Adega de Pegões Chardonnay / Arinto 2010 Portugal

Country / Region : Setubal, Portugal

Year : 2010

Grape Variety : 50% Chardonnay / 50% Arinto

Style : Citrus, Fresh White

ABV : 13%

Drink By : 2016

Price : €14 to €16 RRP

The Winemakers

Pegões, established in 1958, is a modern and competitive winery recognised both in domestic and international markets. Pegões wines have been distinguished with several awards at the most important international wine contests.
With a vineyard area of 2.200 acres, they follow a systematic strategy of modernization with the key objective of continuously improving the quality and value of their wines.

The Pegões Terroir is located between two Nature Reserves – the Tagus estuary to the Northwest and the Sado on the Southwest, on the east side of the Arrabida hills and on the west side of the Alentejo province clays. The Pegões region is unique in climate and soil conditions.
The climate is Mediterranean and the soil, named “Pliocenico de Pegões”, is sandy formed over millions of years by sand transported by the rivers Tagus and Sado. It is this climate / soil combination that gives birth to the unique Pegões wines.

The Wine

Beautiful citrus lemon colour

Very fruity nose. A very structured wine. Fresh citrus, yellow apple combined with stone fruits and spice from the integrated oak. Beautiful length.

4 months in American and French oak barrels.

Perfect with Fish, Pasta, White Meats  & Cheeses

Winner of 140 International Wine Awards

Jamie Goode  “Possibly Portugals Best Co Op”

Best Wine Apps – Wine Temp

The latest in our series features a very simple and useful one that tells you the correct temperature for the various wines you may be drinking.

Introducing Wine Temp

This does exactly what it says on the tin as they say. If you want to know the perfect temperature to serve a wine style, just search for it and hey presto, this app will tell you. Simple !

Why, you may ask, would I be bothered with temperature – is that venturing into the dark, nerdy side of wine drinking ?

Well, the correct temperature of wine can (often) significantly affect its enjoyment. In general we tend to drink our whites a little too chilled (losing aromatics and flavour as a result) and our reds a little too warm (the wine may appear a little jammy and lack some acidity / freshness). Its important to serve the wine at its correct optimum temperature as its then you will get the greatest pleasure from your glass of wine.

Check out a short video I did on the subject

Little Beauty Gewurztraminer Limited Edition 2009 Marlborough, New Zealand

Country / Region : Marlborough, New Zealand

Year : 2009

Grape Variety : Gewurztraminer

Style : Rich, Full White

ABV : 13.5 %

Drink By : 2018

Price : €19.99 to €21.99 RRP

The Winemakers

Little Beauty is a privately owned, Single Vineyard range of wines from Marlborough, New Zealand. Very authentic. Their range includes five varieties (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Dry Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer).

Discrete, characterful. The vines are grown on three different sites. The lower terraces contain stony silt loam soils with fine sandy loam topsoil and gravels over alluvial gravels. Considerable stone is evident in the topsoil profile. Upper terraces contain friable silt loams over blocky silt loams on gravels. The winery uses sustainably accredited winemaking techniques compliant with international specifications.

Little Beauty’s winemaker is Eveline Fraser, formerly head winemaker at the famed Cloudy Bay.

The Wine

A lifted, heady nose – beautifully perfumed even though quite restrained in its youth. Aromas reminiscent of jasmine, rose petal and Middle Eastern spices. A touch of smokiness adds complexity.

On the palate, the characters are intriguing and plentiful; nougat, clove, orange, lychee and rose oil. Finishes with a rich, pleasing roundness.

…an exciting future.

Chilled. Fantastic as an aperitif or try with your favourite spicy dish. Additional food dishes suggested in the ‘Something for you’ section at www.littlebeauty.co.nz

The Riesling Revolution

The Riesling Revolution

Journey to the heart of this great Variety

Ballymaloe, 7pm on Thursday 17th May 2012 €25

Riesling presents a conundrum. For some it produces the greatest white wines in the world, yet by others it is often misunderstood and ridiculed. This unique presentation, organised in association with John McDonnell, Wine Australia Ireland,  with three winemakers from around the world, chaired by Irish Times wine writer, John Wilson, and 12 wine tasting, aims to resolves these two disparate points of view.

Joining us to present the evening are 3 winemakers from 3 of the great Riesling growing regions of the world.

‐ Tim Adams is based in Australia’s Clare Valley and since establishing Tim Adams wines in 1984 has developed a reputation as a brilliant and fiercely independent winemaker.

‐ Based in Germanys Rheingau, Carl Ehrhard expertly marries tradition with innovation in making and packaging his delicious range of wines.

‐ Owing some of Alsace’s most respected vineyard sites, Séverine Schlumberger of Domaines Schlumberger is custodian of both this famous house and it’s vineyards.

Although from different parts of the world, Séverine, Carl and Tim share a passion for Riesling, a passion they will share with us on Thursday May 17th at Ballymaloe. The evening will be hosted by John Wilson, Irish Times Wine Scribe, and self confessed “Riesling disciple”.

The cost per person for the tasting is €25 Euro and bookings can be made direct with Ballymaloe House res@Ballymaloe.ie and 021 4652531.

Adega de Pegões Syrah 2010 Portugal

Country / Region : Setubal, Portugal

Year : 2010

Grape Variety: 100% Syrah

Style : Full,  Spicy Red

ABV : 14%

Drink By : 2021

Price : €14 to €16 RRP

The Winemakers

Pegões, established in 1958, is a modern and competitive winery recognised both in domestic and international markets. Pegões wines have been distinguished with several awards at the most important international wine contests.
ith a vineyards area of 2.200 acres, they follow a systematic strategy of modernization with the key objective of continuously improving the quality and value of their wines.

The Pegões Terroir is located between two Nature Reserves – the Tagus estuary to the Northwest and the Sado on the Southwest, on the east side of the Arrabida hills and on the west side of the Alentejo province clays. The Pegões region is unique in climate and soil conditions.

The climate is Mediterranean and the soil, named “Pliocenico de Pegões”, is sandy formed over millions of years by sand transported by the rivers Tagus and Sado. It is this climate / soil combination that gives birth to the unique Pegões wines.

The Wine

Deep ruby colour with loads of black fruits and spice on the nose. Flavours of of red berries and black mature fruits, notes of jam. Full bodied with great length.

10 months in American and French oak barrels, followed by 4 months in bottles, before it is released on the market

Perfect with Game, Grilled / Roasted  Meats & Cheeses

Winner of 140 International Wine Awards

Jamie Goode  “Possibly Portugals Best Co Op”