Portuguese wine – Douro

Friday evening I was lucky enough to participate at a tasting of four red wines from the Douro region in Portugal. The tasting was run by Fredrik Åkerman that has his web site http://www.portugisiskaviner.se/. The wines where the following.

• Mogadio da Calçada Tinto 2008
  Producer: Niepoort
  Grapes: Aragonez, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional
  Price in Sweden: 159SEK
  Number on Systembolaget: 93998
  I found this be very strict wine, closed, with very clear tones of the stems of cherries. Acids. Nose give clear indication of oak and smoke from the barrel. The grapes have been 100% pressed manually by feet, stored on steel containers and then 16 months on small barrique. 100% of them new french barrels.
• Quinta do Vallado Tinto Reserva 2007
  Producer: Quinta do Vallado
  Grapes: Aragonez, Trincadeira, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Sousão + others
  Price in Sweden:  388SEK
  Number on Systembolaget: 92142
  Full bodies, plums, much more tannins than the first one. Grown on a southern side of a hill, with wines more than 70 years old. 50% of the grapes pressed by feet, 50% with press. 17 months on new barrels.
• Quinta do Crasto Reserva Vinhas Velhas 2009
  Producer: Quinta do Crasto
  Grapes: More than 30 varieties
  Price in Sweden: 225SEK
  Number on Systembolaget: 71734
  Very old vineyard and because of that unclear what grapes are used. The grapes are mixed already in the vineyard. All grapes picked at the same time regardless of variety. A very well balanced wine. Smell of the leaves of roses. Some stem in the taste. Very nice on the nose. Also clear is the oak. 15% of the barrels used is new american oak.
• Pintas Character 2007
  Producer: Wine & Soul
  Grapes: More than 30 varieties
  Price in Sweden: Unknown
  Number on Systembolaget: was 99809, now out of stock
  Raspberries, blackberries. God tannins. 100% of the grapes pressed by feet. 1.5 years on new french barrels. The producer also have a higher class wine also named Pintas that is very well priced. And the vintage port they make under the same name is said to be one of the best there is, although not produced every year. The producers are very new on the market, finished their education in 2001. This, Pintas, is their hobby project as they are employed as wine makers on other houses as well.

Interesting was to hear stories about the grapes. Aragonez is in Portugal what in Spain is Tempranillo (which explained the similarities between these wines and some spanish ones. Also that Touriga Nacional is said to be one of the greatest grapes from the region. It gives a lot of everything: acidity, color, taste, roughness, alcohol etc. It also has a clear taste of violet that can bend towards licorice and even bergamot.

Friday evening I was lucky enough to participate at a tasting of four red wines from the Douro region in Portugal. The tasting was run by Fredrik Åkerman that has...