Mourinho famously described himself as ‘The Special One’ after he was appointed Chelsea manager in 2004.

The Portuguese coach had just led Porto to the Champions League title, and he vowed to bring success to his new club.

Mourinho lived up to his self-styled nickname, as the Blues won back-to-back Premier League titles. The moniker stuck, so it seemed an obvious choice when he decided to launch a wine brand.

‘The Special One’ is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca and Sousão and is selling for €144 per bottle.

Mourinho said: ‘As someone who values precision, quality and excellence in every endeavour, I am proud to present my very own wine, “The Special One”.

‘Handpicked from one of my favourite regions in Portugal, this wine reflects the spirit of my homeland and my relentless desire to enjoy every moment in life.’

Rival manager Sir Alex Ferguson was scathing of Mourinho’s taste in wine after they had a post-match drink in 2004. ‘He was certainly full of it, calling me boss and big man,’ said Ferguson. ‘But it would help if his greetings were accompanied by a decent glass of wine. What he gave me was paint-stripper.’

Mourinho admitted he is not ‘one of the bottle’, but he brought a high-end Barca-Velha to their next meeting.

Chelsea eventually sacked Mourinho following a poor run of results, but he went on to enjoy great success at Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

He then won another Premier League title during a second stint at Chelsea, but his reputation has since been dented after disappointing spells at Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Roma.

Mourinho is now at Fenerbahçe in Turkey, but he still refers to himself as ‘The Special One’, and he believes his wine is special too. ‘Whether you’re celebrating a victory or spending time with people you care about, this wine is meant to be shared with someone truly special,’ he said.

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In 30 years of contributing to Decanter, this is without doubt the most self-indulgent article I have ever had the good fortune to write.

I want my case of 12 Ports to last longer than the 12 days of Christmas and into the better part of the next year, or longer if I’m thinking about cellaring something special for the future. As well as fireside drinking this winter, I’m already thinking ahead to the lazy days of summer, when I want to bide my time with a glass of cool tawny in the garden. Then there’s that most wonderful of aperitifs: white Port and tonic or Portonic.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Richard Mayson’s perfect Port picks

Port, so often associated with the winter months, is very much a drink for all seasons.

The following is a personal selection of some of the best and most innovative Ports I’ve had the pleasure to taste over the past year or so. My choice covers the entire style spectrum (and most of the price spectrum), though I do admit to a penchant for suave, aged colheitas and tawnies. One of the great advantages of these wood-aged styles is you can keep a bottle open to the air and help yourself to a glass over weeks, even months.

All the wines in my perfect case are available to buy now, and there’s a great wine here for nearly every occasion – that’s the beauty of Port.

White Port

I used to be down on white Port, but it all changed when more cask-aged wines came on the market about 20 years ago. Churchill was one of the first to bottle this style of wine and since a change in the legislation there are also white Ports bottled with an indication of age, and as colheitas [single-harvest wines aged long in casks until ready for consumption]. It might seem a bit taboo, but in summer I rather like mixing an older white Port with tonic: this style of Portonic has the bittersweet zest of a Negroni cocktail but is considerably more refreshing – and you can drink more of it.

• Ferreira, Dona Antónia Reserva Branco

Ruby

A good ruby, bottled young with minimal wood-ageing captures the vibrant fruit of the Douro like no other wine. Only a young Douro red comes close, but there you have to stomach the tannins without any of the natural sweetness. Not all ruby comes up to the mark; some bargainbasement wines are raw and uninteresting. By contrast, Cockburn’s Fine Ruby (widely available at £12-£16) is a bestseller and was awarded a Gold medal in this year’s DWWA. The wine I’ve chosen is just a cut above, delicious on its own as a winter warmer, or even in a long serve, reviving the reimagined pub classic Port & Lemon.

• Cockburn’s, Tails of the Unexpected Ruby Soho

LBV

Late Bottled Vintage means just what it says: a wine from a single year or vintage that’s bottled after spending four to six years in large wooden vats or casks. It’s a style that has captured the hearts of British drinkers and has been responsible for the growth in consumption over my professional lifetime. LBV has been very price-sensitive and there are still some real bargains to be had. Supermarket Marks & Spencer won a Gold for its own-label LBV 2017 (£16 Ocado) at this year’s DWWA. I have chosen a couple of wines with real substance: one (Graham’s) filtered before bottling so that you don’t have to decant, the other unfiltered that will continue to develop in bottle should you wish.

• Graham’s, Late Bottled Vintage 2018
• Sandeman, Late Bottled Vintage 2018

Tawny

‘Tawny’ covers a continuum of colours, styles and prices of Port from relatively young reserva, through 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years old. Remember these are ‘indications of age’ rather than an exact statement as these are blends – and, for me, aged tawny is more about house style. I admit to a preference for a paler, more refined style of tawny than a fuller-flavoured wine. I love aged tawnies from Burmester, Ferreira, Niepoort, Poças and Sandeman, as well as the wines listed here. My preference is for 20- and 30-year old as the perfect place on that continuum, where youth and maturity seem to meet. The combination of one of these wines with a Portuguese tarte de amendoa (almond tart) a crème brûlée or even a pastel de nata (the popular custard tart) is simply heavenly.

• Ramos Pinto, Quinta de Ervamoira 10 Year Old Tawny
• Taylor’s, 30 Year Old Tawny

Colheita

It may be a coincidence but, like aged tawny, I feel that colheita (effectively vintage-dated tawny) needs 20 years or so for the tannins to soften and the melding process to be complete. However, some older colheitas suffer from elevated volatile acidity, sometimes described in my tasting notes as vinagrinho (‘little vinegar’) or ‘balsamic’. The two wines below were bottled at their peak.

• Quinta do Noval, Colheita 2005
• Barros, Colheita 1974

Single quinta vintage

The 2010s have been a golden decade for vintage Port, with classic declarations of full vintages in 2011 and from 2015 to 2020. The weakest years were 2012 and 2013, but this is only relative and a cause for celebration when single-estate Ports (quinta means simply ‘estate’) then come onto the market and provide the opportunity to drink a vintage Port, early on and at a reasonable price.

• Taylor’s, Quinta de Vargellas 2013
• Quinta do Noval, Vintage Port 2012
• Vintage

Vintage Port needs little introduction, but suffice to say it represents the cream of the crop from the best of years. I am spoilt for choice here, but older vintages (pre-1994) are now getting harder to find other than through the auction houses. Provided they have been cared for, I could happily fill my whole case with these. The 1994 vintage heralded a return to form after something of a dip in the 1970s and 1980s (though that’s not so say that these decades didn’t produce some magnificent individual wines). Here are two wines from the ‘modern’ era (of differing age and maturity) that really impressed me in the past year.

• Warre’s, Vinhas Velhas Vintage Port 2020
• Dow’s, Vintage Port 1994

Richard Mayson’s perfect Port picks:

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The 2020 vintage marks the 10th Port declaration in a row for Quinta do Noval. This emblematic and highly visible estate in the Pinhão Valley has always taken a somewhat idiosyncratic approach to vintage Port.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for a decade of Quinta do Noval releases

For example, it was one very few houses to declare the 1931 vintage at a time when there seemed to be no market for the wine. The Noval 1931 has subsequently gained legendary status. Indeed I can vouch for this, having tasted the wine last year and been taken aback by its enduring tannic grip, extraordinary length and pizazz.

Noval continued to do its own thing through the 1970s and 1980s when the quality of the wines from this magnificent property sadly fell somewhat below par. It was rescued by AXA Millésimes in 1993 when Christian Seely took charge and spent the next decade ‘putting things right’ to use his own words.

With money to invest, the vineyard was largely replanted and the winemaking thoroughly overhauled. Continuity was maintained by the technical director, António Agrellos, who retired after 24 years at the end of 2017 to be succeeded by his nephew Carlos.

Estates and terroir

Noval now extends to over 180ha and spills over from the Pinhão Valley to neighbouring Roncão, both tributaries of the Douro. Nicknamed ‘roasted Roncão’ because of the intense heat, Seely points out that these two very different terroirs now contribute to the vintage blend with Roncão having ‘harder schist’ than Pinhão (‘just in case you thought all schist was the same’).

In 2018 Noval bought up Quinta do Passadouro, a contiguous estate in the Pinhão Valley which will continue to produce its own Ports and red wines.

The altitude of the estate now extends from 100m above sea level to 500m. The diversity of grape varieties (mostly Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Sousão and Tinto Cão), exposures and altitudes means that in most years picking will take place over six weeks or more, starting in late August for the white grapes.

In 2020 however the harvest was compressed into just over three weeks as all the different varieties seemed to ripen together which tested the capacity of the winery, mid-pandemic.

Quality and quantity

Looking back over the decade, the 2010s have been remarkable for Port. Shippers were spoilt for choice and some declared an unprecedented three years in a row. Noval has done it differently, declaring a wine every year from the outstanding (and universally declared) 2011 vintage onwards. When challenged, Seely says the wines speak for themselves.

‘Which of these do you think is not worthy of declaration? I wouldn’t have declared if I didn’t think the wine justified it,’ he says. He adds that ‘vintage Port is a maximum of 15% of the total production of Noval’ with quantities varying over the last decade from 6,000 9-litre cases in 2016 to just 700 in 2014. In that year the strictest selection was vital to maintain quality.

The Nacional vineyard

Literally at the heart of the estate is the 1.6ha Nacional vineyard, an extraordinary patch of ungrafted vines that has survived on its own roots, post-phylloxera. The name derives from the fact that the vines are directly rooted in ‘the soil of the nation’. The Nacional vineyard is much less vigorous than the surrounding vineyard with yields about half of that elsewhere on the estate. This makes for wines with extraordinary power and concentration, but also finesse.

The plot has been certified organic since 2013 and is worked manually and ploughed by mule. Production is usually 200-300 cases in a declared year (the 1931 Nacional is now so rare that it is unobtainable).

Noval makes a Nacional wine every year but it only sees light of day if it is truly up to scratch. For example Seeley reports that the 2015 Nacional is ‘very, very tannic and closed’ and may never be released. He calls these bottlings the ‘secret Nacionals’.

So far five Nacional wines have been released in the last decade including 2020. Seely says: ‘There are years when we know straight after treading in lagar that we will be declaring a Nacional Vintage Port – and 2020 was one of these’. He describes it as ‘outstanding from the beginning’ and looking at my note on the wine (below) it is hard to disagree. Half the production is being released now with the rest kept back for future release.

Colheitas

Seely is a convert to colheita Port, wines from a single harvest that are kept in pipe (barrel) to soften and age like a tawny Port prior to bottling. Noval has been laying down colheitas since the 1990s – ‘I wish I had laid down more’ comments Seely. There is speculation that a Nacional Colheita may be among the so-called ‘secret Nacionals’.

The most recent Noval Colheita to be released is the 2009, about a quarter of which was bottled earlier this year with the rest kept back to bottle later.

The decade of wines listed below are a fitting tribute to two generations of the Argellos family who look after the estate and the winemaking. They are also testament to the work done by Seely, who has spent nearly 20 years re-capturing the soul of Noval, steering it back to its rightful place as one of the great terroirs of the Douro. Never one to run with the herd, Quinta do Noval retains its idiosyncratic and individualistic spirit.

See tasting notes and scores for a decade of Quinta do Noval releases

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Six new grape varieties chosen to help Bordeaux wine producers adapt to climate change have been approved by France’s national appellation body, INAO.

Bordeaux’s wine council, the CIVB, announced the news in January 2021 and said the first plantings were expected this year.

There are four new red varieties – Touriga Nacional, Marselan, Castets, Arinarnoa – and two white grapes, Alvarinho and Liliorila. A seventh proposed variety, Petit Manseng, didn’t make the final list.

Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Supérieur producers applied to use the varieties in 2019, for their potential to mitigate the impact of climate change without diluting the identity of Bordeaux wines.

Potentially useful characteristics among the grapes listed below include naturally high acidity, structure or strong aromatics, as well as good resistance against specific vine diseases, from mildew to grey rot.

The varieties below could only collectively make up 5% of a producer’s vineyard area and 10% of the final blend, said the CIVB this week.

New red Bordeaux grapes

Marselan

What is it? A crossing between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache Noir.

Why it could be useful: Marselan ‘follows a classic harvest date pattern for the Bordeaux vineyard’ and is pretty good at resisting grey rot and mildew, according to the Bordeaux appellation & Supérieur union. Its small berries can make richly coloured, full-bodied wines with supple tannins.

Did you know? Marselan features in the new Chinese wine from the owner of Lafite Rothschild. It can also be used in Côtes du Rhône wines, at up to 10% of the final blend.

Touriga Nacional

What is it? A late ripener that needs little introduction for fans of either Port or Portugal’s burgeoning reputation for quality red wines.

Why it could be useful: Expect lots of black fruits, high tannins and generally full-bodied, structured wines that can gain complexity with age. It also has good natural resistance to diseases in the vineyard, according to the Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Supérieur union.

Did you know? John Downes MW quipped in a 2001 article for Decanter that we might one day see ‘Touriga d’Oc’, if anyone in the warm French region of Languedoc were to discover the grape’s potential for red wines. It turns out he wasn’t completely off the mark…

Castets

What is it? Castets is a mostly forgotten variety, believed to either emanate from the Gironde or the Pyrenees. Just 2.9ha were left in France in 2016, according to the Agropolis Foundation – an alliance of major French research agencies.

Why it could be useful: Castets has good resistance to downy mildew and can produce deeply coloured wines suitable for ageing, according to the Bordeaux Supérieur union. However, it is also known for wines with high alcohol and relatively low acidity, according to the Agropolis Foundation’s ‘Pl@ntGrape project’.

Arinarnoa

What is it? This is a cross between Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon, developed by France’s national research agency INRA in 1956.

Why it could be useful: Buds tend to burst late, which protect against spring frosts, according to the Agropolis Foundation. It has good resistance to grey rot and, as you’d expect from its lineage, it can make structured, tannic wines that also maintain natural acidity, says the Bordeaux Supérieur union.

New white Bordeaux grapes

Alvarinho

What is it? It is known as Alvarinho to Portugal’s Vinho Verde producers, and Albariño in Spain’s Galicia.

Why it could be useful: It is capable of producing bone-dry white wines with relatively high acidity, and it isn’t very susceptible to grey rot. Strong aromatic qualities ‘make it possible to compensate [for] the loss of aromas that global warming usually causes’, said the Bordeaux Supérieur union.

Liliorila

What is it? It is a cross between Baroque and Chardonnay, developed by INRA in 1956 like Arinarnoa.

Why it could be useful: Its small berries are known for producing powerful, aromatic wines, albeit with relatively low acidity, according to researchers. Like Alvarinho above, the Bordeaux Supérieur union said Liliorila’s aromatic qualities can help it to retain character in warmer temperatures.

This article was originally published in 2019 and has been updated in January 2021 following approval for the six new varieties.

Full credit for Agropolis Foundation project: ‘Pl@ntGrape, le catalogue des vignes cultivées en France, © UMT Géno-Vigne®, INRA – IFV – Montpellier SupAgro 2009-2011’.

Everyone is visiting Portugal. The draw? Timeworn charm, tradition and authenticity – qualities that extend to the country’s wines. Focusing on iconic producers, rare museum releases and stellar vintages, this masterclass showcased Portugal’s classic wine regions, winemaking traditions and history through 10 charismatic ‘works of time’.

During the négociant era, bulk wine for colonies was the principal focus, however the Costa brothers of Caves São João famously bottled the cream of the Dão crop under the Porta dos Cavaleiro brand, Reserva Seleccionada being the finest. Launched in 1963, skilful sourcing, blending and ageing (in cement, then bottle), highlighted elegance and bouquet, setting the template for this mountainous, granitic region’s gastronomic, long-lived wines.

Retaining a foot in the négociant camp, Buçaco Reservado is made from Buçaco’s and growers’ grapes in Buçaco Palace Hotel’s cellars. Conceived in 1917 as ‘a cathedral of wine’, owner Alexandre Almeida wanted to celebrate the neighbouring source regions: Dão and Bairrada. Almost exclusive to the hotel (which lists vintages back to the 1940s), this ultimate ‘house wine’ – a Vinho de Mesa, by reason of inter-regionality – has been served to visiting heads of state.

Celebrating 40 vintages this year, Luís Pato represented the modern age of boutique, estate wines from top vineyards or vineyard parcels, such as Vinha Barrosa. Pato pioneered green harvesting, de-stemming and French oak in Bairrada to ‘polish’ Baga’s notorious tannins. From his oldest vineyard, the 2009 vintage is, for Pato, ‘underrated, a reference’.

Released in exceptional vintages and after significant bottle-ageing, flagship reds Herdade do Mouchão, Mouchão Tonel No 3-4 2013 and Quinta do Mouro, Rótulo Dourado 2007 from Alentejo represented the traditional and modern face of sunny southern Portugal.

Herdade do Mouchão introduced Alentejo to its most structured variety, Alicante Bouschet and, for over a century, it has been foot-trodden and whole-bunch fermented in lagares, then aged in old 5,000-litre Portuguese oak barrels (tonels). Created in 1996, Tonel No 3-4 is a single-varietal, particularly vigorous Alicante Bouschet from the best vineyard (Carapetos) and best tonels (numbers 3 and 4).

Inspired by Mouchão and French, Italian and Spanish classics, dentist Miguel Louro planted his Quinta do Mouro vineyard in 1989, located in Estremoz at 402m on schist. Louro favours terroir-driven wines of character, structure and freshness over fruit. Masterful blending of varieties (including 10% Cabernet Sauvignon), ageing in new French oak and a draconian barrel selection lend perfume and finesse to Rótulo Dourado, first trialled in 1999.

Two single-quinta Douro wines highlighted this mountainous northern Portuguese region’s diverse terroir and house styles. First making wine in 1994, Quinta do Crasto is based in the Cima Corgo sub-region, Port’s heartland. In 1998, a southeast-facing centenarian field blend parcel was ring-fenced for Vinha Maria Teresa, an explosive, opulent red (especially in 2011, a powerhouse year).

It starkly contrasted with Casa Ferreirinha, Quinta da Leda 2008’s classical lines – a house style forged by the Douro pioneer in 1952, with Barca Velha. In the drier Douro Superior sub-region, the extreme diurnal temperature range accentuates structure. Made from Leda’s block-planted vines – six cosseted parcels, also earmarked for Barca Velha – the earlier drinking Quinta da Leda is poised, especially in 2008, which was a mild year.

Top echelon ports are usually multi-quinta blends, for structure and balance, but not Quinta do Noval Vintage Port or Kopke Colheita Port. Continuing the single-quinta theme, they are forged from exceptional terroir.

That terroir surely accounts for Quinta do Noval’s history of eccentric vintage declarations, starting with the Pinhão Valley quinta’s legendary 1931 vintage, and explains why it stands out in generally declared years, such as 2000.

Bottled on demand, after lengthy barrel-ageing, the supreme skills of the cellar master – a great Portuguese tradition – come to the fore at Kopke and Blandy’s, in Madeira. It also helps that grapes are sourced from the middle and upper terraces of Kopke’s Quinta de Sao Luiz. Rising to 600m, it contributes to Kopke’s supremely elegant house style.

Freshness, indeed bracing acidity, is a given in Madeira’s Atlantic climate. Buying over 50% of the island’s Malmsey grapes to produce Madeira’s sweetest style, the expertise of Blandy’s shines in the precision and balance of the 1981, the last remaining barrel of which was bottled in 2019 – producing just 999 bottles.

Rare museum wines tasted and rated by Sarah Ahmed

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See Richard's top six picks below, plus his detailed vintage guide back to 1960.

When it comes to vintage Port, we’ve never had it so good – an unprecedented run of fine vintages in 2017, 2016 and 2015 were all worthy of an outright declaration, with 2018 and 2019 looking promising too.

But to drink these wines now would be infanticide, so it begs the question: what Port to drink now while these wonderful recent vintages slowly mature?

Fortunately, some of the rather good years in the 2000s and 1990s are now becoming approachable. They divide between so-called ‘classic’ declarations and single-quinta vintage Ports (SQVPs). The main difference is that SQVP is generally ready to drink after 10 years rather than 20, and priced at £25-£45 a bottle, these wines are less than half the price of a bottle from a fully declared vintage.

The most recent single-quinta year that is becoming approachable is 2010. From a large crop, those estates with old vines at their core produced some lovely, balanced, fruit-driven wines that are just being released. With a backbone of fragrant Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, Cockburn’s Quinta dos Canais looks like a good wine for the medium term.

In complete contrast, 2008 was a low-yielding year with a lot of single-quinta Ports, many yet to be released. In general, the wines are aromatic but still show restraint and are characterised by their freshness and purity of fruit backed by structured tannins. Taylor’s Quinta de Terra Feita and Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos both look very promising.

A run of three good years in the mid-2000s produced SQVPs, all of which are now fully ready to drink. 2006 and 2005 made big, ripe-flavoured wines. A few shippers, notably Niepoort, thought 2005 was good enough to declare outright. Both vintages made wines that can be enjoyed now and will last into the 2030s and beyond.

By contrast, 2004 was a near-disaster due to untimely rain, but swung to success with a fine harvest that produced balanced, well-structured wines perfect for drinking now. Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha 2004 is well defined with plum and black cherry fruit supported by firm tannins.

See Richard Mayson’s Port vintage guide here

Raring to go

When it comes to fully declared years, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2003 and 2000 are, on the whole, not yet ready to drink. The opulent 2003s will be ready first with Cockburn’s, Croft and Ramos Pinto just on the cusp.

For Port to drink now, go back a decade to two contrasting years: 1997 and 1994. The latter year proved to be a watershed after some patchy declarations in the 1980s and early 1990s: Croft, Ramos Pinto and Taylor’s performed well in a recent comparative tasting, showing the characteristic eloquence of the 1994 vintage. The 1997s were more demure at the outset and perhaps a little more forward now. Fonseca and Taylor’s already show purity of fruit and have the structure to continue to drink well for the next 20 years or so.

Going back to the 1980s, there is a caveat emptor on some of the 1985s, though Fonseca is faultless and in my opinion the leading wine of the vintage. Dow’s, Graham’s and Warre’s all performed well in 1983, as well as three years earlier in 1980. These wines would be my selection for drinking this Christmas, unless of course you have access to the 1977s and 1970s.

From 1977, Fonseca is a tower of strength with Dow’s and Graham’s 1970 both worthy of being ranked alongside the 20th-century greats.

How to serve

All vintage Port, be it single-quinta or a classic declaration, is treated in the same way, with the minimum of intervention before bottling. All throw a crust (sediment) in bottle as they age and require decanting.

Leave the bottle upright for an hour or two then slowly pour the wine into a decanter against a good light (a candle if you want to be romantic). Nothing needs to be wasted: decant the wine before dinner and the sediment makes a good addition to a casserole or gravy.

Seasonal treat: Mayson’s top bottles of Port to drink now

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Touriga Nacional is known for making darkly coloured, rich, tannic and complex wines, most commonly around a concentrated kernel of black fruits.

It enjoys ageing and, although best known for its role in the Douro Valley’s Port blends, has drawn comparisons to Cabernet Sauvignon during the resurgence for unfortified, Portuguese red wines so far this century.

Despite having a reputation for low yields and being difficult to cultivate, Touriga Nacional also stands up relatively well to heat and has shown resistance to fungal diseases in vineyards.

These are key reasons why Bordeaux winemakers recently saw fit to include Touriga Nacional among one of seven ‘new’ grape varieties to be allowed into blends for Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellation wines from next year.

In California, producer Larkmead last week named Touriga Nacional as one of the varieties being planted in its new research vineyard, near to Calistoga.

Both moves reflect efforts to mitigate the anticipated effects of climate change.

But many wine critics and winemakers have long pondered why Touriga Nacional has not achieved greater acclaim before, irrespective of its ability to withstand global warming.

This is a cautious traveller, both domestically and further afield.

Despite a strong claim to be Portugal’s signature grape, Beverley Blanning MW wrote in Decanter in 2004 that Touriga Nacional was starting to be considered by more winemakers in southern Portugal – beyond its heartlands of the Douro and the Dão.

In 2001, John Downes MW wrote in Decanter that Touriga’s red wine potential had yet to be discovered internationally.

‘What’s the bet an Aussie winemaker discovers its powers in a warm French region,’ Downes said. ‘Maybe we’ll soon see Touriga D’Oc. Don’t forget it was my idea!’

Australia itself is one of the producer countries that has shown most interest in Touriga Nacional in the intervening years. In 2017, Wine Australia called the grape ‘one to watch’.

Back in 2001, Downes referred to Touriga’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ character at the time.

‘The smiling side of Touriga Nacional’s character is that with enormous reserves of black fruits and massive mouth-filling tannins, it’s a must for classic vintage Port,’ said Downes, who also detailed rising interest in Touriga within a new generation of unfortified reds in the Douro.

On the ‘darker side’ of Touriga’s character, Downes said, ‘The problems start in the vineyard. Firstly, the grape is an incredibly low yielder, often giving less than half a litre of juice per vine. The vines are difficult to cultivate and although the yield is low the plant’s vigour is very high.’

Touriga Nacional’s traditional use in blends may also mean that it has not garnered the publicity of a solo performer.

In Port, it is one of the five central varieties, alongside Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Roriz – better known as Tempranillo.

For unfortified reds, Touriga Nacional varietal wines have increasingly come to the fore in the last couple of decades, but blending has also been common, such as with Touriga Franca, to bring balance in the glass.

Blanning wrote, ‘Touriga Nacional is a shining light in the often impenetrable fog of Portuguese grape varieties. In a line-up of Portuguese wines, time and again the sheer quality of this noble grape lifts and distinguishes a blend. Vinified as a single varietal, it can astonish with its depth and complexity.’

Expect to see more of the world talking about Touriga in the decades to come.

Larkmead Vineyards has started planting a 1.2-hectare (three-acre) research vineyard at its base in Calistoga.

Grape varieties to be planted include Chenin Blanc, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel, as well as Aglianico, Tempranillo and Touriga Nacional.

Different clones and rootstocks will also be on trial there, all with climate change in mind, said Larkmead.

The winery, which celebrates its 125^th anniversary next year, tapped into an ongoing debate across the wine world about how climate change – and specifically warmer temperatures – might affect grape varieties’ links to specific regions.

‘Cabernet Sauvignon may no longer be well-suited to Napa Valley’s climate in 20 to 30 years,’ said Larkmead winemaker Dan Petroski.

While Cabernet Sauvignon still reigns supreme in Napa, and the variety covers 63% of Larkmead’s 44.5-hectare (110-acre) vineyard, Petroski said it was important to think about different climate change scenarios.

‘As one of the world’s top wine regions, we need to research and plan for inevitable warmer temperatures.

‘Napa Valley will continue to lead the way in research and sustainability and we are carrying on the legacy of experimentation and trial here at Larkmead.’

The estate, now owned by Cam and Kate Solari Baker, also highlighted its tradition of vineyard trials. It worked with UC Davis professor Harold Olmo on Cabernet Sauvignon clonal selection in the 1940s.

Kelly Maher, viticulturalist at Larkmead, said it was important to experiment.

‘We’re planning on testing different varieties, rootstocks, cover crops, and more. The goal is to have more biodiversity and climate resilient vineyards while continuing to produce better and better wines.’

See also:

Larkmead Vineyards: Single site, multiple terroirs

Bordeaux winemakers allow new grapes to fight climate change

Port 2017

A magnificent vintage, hard on the heels of 2016. Rich, intense, powerful fruit-driven wines balanced by unusual freshness and verve.

5/5

When I broached the selection of early-released 2017 Port, I fully expected to see all the hallmarks of a hot vintage. This was, after all, the earliest harvest in living memory, with picking taking place at the end of August.

By the time the harvest normally begins (the closest Monday to 21 September is my rule of thumb), all the best grapes were in and it seemed as that yet another exceptional year was on the cards.I emphasise ‘another’, because the widely declared 2017 vintage followed hard on the heels of the general declaration of 2016 and, for some shippers, a declaration in 2015 as well.

Scroll down to see Richard’s Port 2017 tasting notes & scores

It’s rare to get back-to-back vintage declarations – for some houses you have to go back to 1934/35 (Fonseca for example) but for others, not since 1846/47 have two generally-declared Port vintages come one after the other.

For Cockburn, who benefitted from a successful harvest in 2015, this is an unprecedented third declared vintage in a row.

A succession of years like this leads one’s thoughts towards climate change and global warming. There may of course be something in this, as there hasn’t been a dreary vintage in the Douro since 2002 and no really poor year since 1993.

More often than not, excess heat is the problem but this wasn’t an overriding factor in 2017. After a wet end to 2016, the growing season started about a week earlier than usual, with budburst taking place around 10 March.

The spring was exceptionally warm and dry, with a blast of heat in late June. After a major storm on 5 July the weather calmed down, which helped to even out the ripening. By mid-August, growers were being called back from their holidays and by 25 August picking was well underway, nearly a month earlier than normal.

Drought

The weather conditions in 2017 were the driest since 1945, a legendary Port vintage with which the shippers are already making a direct comparison.

Thankfully, the Douro’s grape varieties are particularly drought resistant, and deep-rooted old vines produced tiny yields of super-ripe grapes in 2017, 30% down on a normal year – the Symingtons reported yields averaging just 860 grams per vine (compared to the 1.08kg 10-year average).

But even the more recently planted Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca vineyards performed exceptionally well, the latter resisting the drought on sun-drenched south-facing slopes.

Not many of us have memories of the 1945 vintage though, so what of the back-to-back vintages of 2016/17?

Declarations

All the leading shippers declared both years with the exception of Sandeman and Ferreira, who passed on 2017 (‘too hot’ said the two brands’ winemaker, Luís Sottomayor), and Niepoort and Ramos Pinto who both favoured 2015 over 2016. The shippers are clear that 2017 is at least equal in stature to its immediate predecessor but very different in style.

In a joint statement at the launch of their wines, Adrian Bridge (Taylor, Fonseca, Croft), Johnny Symington (Cockburn, Dow, Graham, Warre, Quinta do Vesúvio) and Christian Seely (Quinta do Noval) said that whereas ‘the hallmarks of the 2016s were elegance and finesse, the 2017s are classic “old school” vintage Ports, deep and intense, with rich, dark multi-layered fruit and powerful, compact tannins’.

I would add to this by saying that there is nothing ‘hot’, ‘baked’ or ‘stewed’ about the wines from 2017. The impression these wines give at this stage is of ripeness and concentration backed by wonderful freshness. It’s not often that I use the word ‘acidity’ in association with Port but it is implicit in my notes, such is the fresh and mouthwatering character of many of these wines.

Johnny Graham (Churchill) sums this up when he talks about ‘a raw vibrancy….combining a purity of fruit with a vein of natural acidity’, while Dirk Niepoort – who compares his eponymous 2017 to 1945, 1955 and 1970 – sums it up in one word: ‘balance’.

Lucky number?

As Adrian Bridge pointed out to the assembled wine trade and wine writers at the recent launch of the 2017 Port vintage in London, seven has a habit of being a lucky number for the Port trade.

There’s some truth in this. Going back exactly a decade, 2007 was generally declared, as was 1997. The 1987 vintage was good but only declared by a few shippers (a long story), then 1977 was declared by all except Cockburn.

1967 proved to be a good year, declared by some in preference to 1966 (notably Cockburn), then you go back another 20 years to 1947, an outstanding year declared hard on the heels of 1945 at a time when there was really no market for vintage Port.

Then there’s 1927, perhaps the finest vintage of the 20th century. Perhaps 2017 is already shaping up to be one of the finest years of the 21st century but there’s already stiff competition from 2000, the universally declared 2011s, and 2016. This gives plenty of scope for fascinating comparisons around dinner tables in about 25 years time or more – I have put some of the drink dates up to 2060, but I’m sure that these wines will last beyond this.

Port 2017: Richard’s top recommendations

The following wines are my own selection of the best and most representative Ports of the 2017 vintage. Over the months of May and June I tasted over 40 vintage Ports, mostly on two or three occasions before finally rating the wines. Where possible I have given background details on each of the wines as well as tasting notes.

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Decanter’s Port vintage guide

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Revisiting vintage Port 1994: From the archive

Tasting Quinta do Noval Port: A look back in time

I originally encountered Quinta do Noval’s Touriga Nacional and Syrah in 2009. The house, famous for its vintage Port, had access to Petit Verdot and Syrah expertise – as well as pedigree cuttings – from sister-label Château Pichon Baron in Bordeaux and former sister-label, Domaine Mas Belles Eaux in the Languedoc.

But making single-varietal wines – let alone from French varieties – subverts convention in the Douro Valley, where wines tend to reflect both the Douro’s traditional field-blend vineyards and the rationale behind them – namely, to blend different grapes for balance, complexity and consistency in a challenging hot, dry climate.

Noval’s single-varietals

First made in 2004, the Touriga Nacional was a happy accident, made from overlooked barrels which delivered an unusually complete wine. Without sacrificing structure (it ages well), it has uncommon detail and fragrance for a variety which tends to excess.

My scepticism about the Syrah, originally released under a second label (Labrador), was swiftly allayed by a palate which showcased the variety through the prism of the Douro’s rocky, wild terroir.

Curiously, Petit Verdot – a later-ripening Bordeaux grape, bud-grafted in 2014 partly from Pichon Baron stock – has been thoroughly precocious. Managing director Christian Seely describes it as ‘a civilised traveller…really adapted to the Douro’ where, with a splash of irrigation, it fully ripens.

Contrastingly, in Bordeaux’s maritime climate, Petit Verdot has never made it into Pichon Baron’s grand vin, let alone flown solo. Indeed, unlike Syrah, it’s rare to find single-varietal Petit Verdot anywhere, making this impressive example well worth seeking out.

Tasting Quinta do Noval’s dry reds:

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Barca Velha vertical: Superstar of the Douro

Revisiting vintage Port 1994

Richard Mayson recently tasted a range of Noval's Ports, including several vintages of the renowned Nacional, and pre-war colheitas...

Quinta do Noval is probably the most famous Port producer in the Douro. It occupies a particularly prominent site, stacked up over the Pinhão valley, and its immaculate painted terraces very visible from a number of other estates.

Long before the rise of the single-quinta in the 1960s and ‘70s, the estate stood out for being both a Port house and a quinta, first recorded as the latter in 1715.

Scroll down to see Richard’s Quinta do Noval tasting notes & scores from this tasting

Any wine labelled ‘Quinta do Noval’ is made from grapes grown at the property, whereas any wine labelled simply ‘Noval’ will have been made from at least a portion of grapes that have been bought in.

When it comes to vintage Port, the estate behaves as a single-quinta, declaring any year when they have an outstanding wine. Quantities may vary (1,000–6,000 cases being the norm), but between 2011 and 2016 Quinta do Noval has declared a vintage in every year.

A new start

Like every property with a long history, Noval has had its ups and downs. In the 1970s and 1980s, a time when a number of leading Port shippers regularly underperformed, Noval was on a downward trajectory. The estate was rescued in 1993 when it was bought by AXA Millésimes, and Christian Seely was put in overall charge.

Between 1994 and 1999, 100ha of vineyard were replanted, accompanied by plenty of fine tuning in the adega.

This was the responsibility of technical director António Agrellos, who retired at the end of 2017 after working quietly in the background at Noval for 24 years.

Agrellos was replaced by another Agrellos; his nephew, Carlos, who I have known for a number of years for his work at Quinta do Côtto, with the Symingtons and with cork producer Amorim. He also has his own wine producing property in the Douro, Quinta do Espinhal.

The wines below were shown as a tribute to António Agrellos, a softly spoken individual who agreed to do the job provided he didn’t have to show his face too much.

Nacional

At the heart of the estate, located just above the main drive to the house is a fabled 1.6ha plot of ungrafted vines. This vineyard ‘beats to a different drum’, in the words of Christian Seely.

From the top of the quinta, depending on the time of year, it’s easy to make out the Nacional vines because they show much less vigour than the surrounding vineyard. This is reflected in the yield which, at 15hl/ha, is about half that of the rest of the estate.

The drum beats differently when it comes to declared vintages, too, with years like 1996, 1999 and 2001 having been released when Quinta do Noval did not otherwise make a declaration.

In the years between 1994 and 2016, Quinta do Noval made 14 vintage declarations whereas Quinta do Noval Nacional was declared 10 times.

An ongoing mystery surrounds the 2007 Nacional which was never declared: could it be that there is a Nacional colheita waiting in the wings?

Colheita

This tasting concluded with a range of Quinta do Noval’s colheitas which, rather than being a different drum beat, belong to a completely different section of the orchestra.

Having been aged in the Douro – albeit in temperature-controlled conditions – these wines take on a suave, sometimes caramelised, occasionally maderised character from prolonged ageing in pipes.

All the colheitas tasted below were bottled in 2018, ready to drink and should ideally be opened within a year or two. But there are more of these wines in stock and it will be interesting to see how they evolve when it comes to future bottlings, particularly the rather youthful 2003. There is just one pipe remaining of the venerable 1937.

The Ports at this tasting all originated from the estate.

Quinta do Noval: Vintage by vintage

Starting with the 2016s…

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Revisiting vintage Port 1994

Port vintage guide

It's the time of year when many of us wine lovers begin to consider our Port selection ahead of the festive celebrations. Below, you can find Richard Mayson's full report on a re-tasting of the 'landmark' 1994 Port vintage, including the top wines.

Originally published in Decanter magazine's January 2015 issue and now available to Premium subscribers for the first time.

In 1998, 11 tasters representing the great and the good of the UK and Oporto wine trade assembled at Decanter to taste the recently declared 1994 Port vintage.

It was the first unanimous declaration since 1985 and, with the Americans buying up vintage Port, there was lots of excitement in the air.

Scroll down to see Richard’s tasting notes & scores

As one of the tasters, I remember that we had a lively debate about the wines. The 1994 vintage Ports were characterised at the start by their forward fruit, and many thought this marked a fundamental change in the winemaking.

The Americans had taken to drinking vintage Port in its first bloom of youth: had the 1994s been made with this in mind?

Peter Cobb, then managing director of Cockburn’s, summed up the views of the majority when he said: ‘A generation ago, if we were tasting a wine with two years in bottle, we would be remarking on the enormous tannins and staying power, together with the acidity and fruit… only the last of these qualities was immediately obvious here.’ A few tasters went so far as to say that the wines were no better than a good ruby or LBV!

Hindsight

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Looking back, it’s clear that 1994 was a landmark vintage.

Not only was it the first general declaration for nine years, it was also a chance to show that the shippers had put their houses in order after some very variable wines in the early ’80s (especially 1985).

It helped that 1994 was a good vintage. After a washout in 1993, growers were understandably nervous; some panicked and harvested too early when a little light rain fell in mid-September.

But on the whole the harvest took place in perfect conditions. Many producers were still without temperature control at the time and long, slow fermentations gave rise to prolonged skin contact and good extraction from small, well-ripened grapes.

The shippers were confident and when the wines were declared in 1996, opening prices were up by as much as 40% on 1985.

So what of all that forward fruit? My opinion was that it was just puppy fat, covering up the ripe, underlying tannins, and that the wines had the longevity of traditional vintage Port.

Nothing had been changed deliberately, said Bill Warre of Warre’s and Adrian Bridge, managing director of Taylor and Fonseca, defending the Port trade. For saying this, a few of us were branded ‘traditionalists’.

But the doubters remained adamant. One UK buyer asserted that ‘if I bought these wines for a christening present, I’d be thinking in 18 years’ time “what on earth is vintage Port all about?”’

The tasting

Those 18 years are up and the babies who were given 1994 vintage Port for a christening present might now be thinking about drinking them.

With these debates in mind, I have retasted (blind) 23 of the 33 wines we assessed back in 1998, and present the 18 highest scorers here.

Most of the wines are ready to drink. Fonseca, Taylor’s, Graham’s, Sandeman and perhaps surprisingly Calém are still a bit sullen and would benefit from another few years in bottle to allow them to open up.

There was one badly volatile wine (shades of 1985) and one or two that were already falling apart. But there is no shortage of depth or structure in the best 1994s, which safely have another two or three decades of life ahead of them.

The wonderful ripe fruit that we found at the outset is still there, and so are the tannins that some thought were missing all those years ago. The best wines are fine and focused – not massive, but broad, dense and ripe.

In the original tasting referenced above, three wines received Decanter wards, equivalent to 95 points or above: Fonseca, Quarles Harris and Martinez Quinta da Eira Velha. With the latter shipper no longer in business, I was unable to retaste this wine.

In the re-run, six of the 23 wines got 95 points and seven more were 90 or above. So, I declare that the ‘traditionalists’ have won the argument. 1994 is shaping up into an excellent vintage and will give drinking pleasure for many years to come.

Richard’s pick of vintage Port 1994:

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Read Steven Spurrier's profile of this rare Portuguese wine, and a favourite of retired football manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Decanter Premium members can access Spurrier's exclusive tasting notes and ratings for 13 Barca Velha vintages stretching back to 1964

Barca Velha was born in the Porto Ferreira stable and named in honour of its famous matriarch, Dona Antonia Adelaide Ferreira, who was affectionately nicknamed ‘Ferreirinha’ – or ‘little Ferreira’ in Portuguese.

Continue reading below

Exclusively for Decanter Premium members: See all of Steven Spurrier’s Barca Velha wine tasting notes

The history

Dona Antonia was a much loved and admired character within the Port trade, continually driving innovation as well as providing much needed support to the Douro families.

She believed that quality was the only route to success and so created and invested in some of the best Quintas in the Douro, at one point owning more than 20, including great names such as Porto, Seixo, Vargellas and Vesuvio.

She was also responsible for laying down the best and most complete library stock the Port industry had ever seen.

But the dream of transforming the elegant, fine and complex style of Ferreira’s Ports into a dr y wine was not realised until 1952, 56 years after Dona Antonia’s death, with the first vintage of Barca Velha, made by Ferando Nicolau de Almeida.

Casa Ferreirinha thus became the first house in the Douro dedicated to making a table wine, which has always come from vineyards situated at different altitudes in the Douro Superior region.

Today Quinta da Leda, with its 160 hectares of vines, provides the fruit that is meticulously blended to create Barca Velha, of which only 19 vintages have been released since the 1952, released in 1957.

The winemakers

Only three winemakers have presided over the production of Barca Velha: Fernando Nicolau de Almeida, from 1952 to 1998; Jose-Maria Soares Franco, from 1998 to 2003; and Luis Sottomayor from 2003 to the present.

A Douro legend, Almeida joined Porto Ferreira, where his father was head winemaker, at 16. In 1949, following a visit to Château Calon-Segur in Bordeaux, he found answers to begin to realise Dona Antonia’s dream of producing a table wine from the Douro Superior.

After taking over from his father the following year, against the wishes of the Porto Ferreira board he continued his pioneering investigation into table wine. The 1952 harvest offered conditions suitable for its realisation.

Luis Sottomayor joined the winemaking team in 1989, learning his trade under Almeida. Since 2003 he has led the teams responsible for Casa Ferreirinha, Ferreira, Offley and Sandeman.

High standards

Four or five of the main Douro grapes find themselves in the blend, those from lower altitudes for structure, those from the higher altitudes retaining acidity, all working together for a long-lived structure.

The wine is only bottled when there are no questions about its quality and it is deemed ready. Following three or more years of tasting, the final decision to carry the Barca Velha name rests with the head winemaker. A vintage not quite up to the highest standard instead takes the name Reserva Especial.

Although current winemaker Sottomayor has worked in other wine regions, his commitment to, and knowledge of, the Douro is unsurpassed. He takes great pride in the opportunity he has been given to perpetuate the Barca Velha story, while recognising that he is building upon the creativity and daring of those who first set out to produce this great wine, unaided by the technical advances of today.

Barca Velha vertical – 13 vintages tasted:

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The head winemaker for the company that owns Taylor's, Croft and Fonseca Port has compared 2015 growing conditions to those of the highly rated 2011 vintage.

Hot and dry weather means the 2015 wine harvest is set to begin early in the Douro, and possibly before the end of August.

It is very early days – with not a single grape yet picked – but hopes are rising for a good quality crop.

David Guimaraens, head winemaker for the Fladgate partnership, this week raised expectations when he compared the growing season to 2011 – a vintage described as outstanding by many critics.

‘Conditions are similar to 2011. Both years experienced warm dry springs and summers, although the winter preceding 2011 was wetter.

‘The ground water reserves this year are fine so we are hoping for a very good harvest, although it will be starting earlier than usual. We expect to receive the first grapes at the Quinta da Nogueira winery during the last week of August.’

Fladgate head viticulturalist Antonio Magalhees added, ‘A very good indicator of an early harvest in our vineyards is the development of our Touriga Nacional. It is always a late developer but it has already changed colour to a deep purple.’

Many Port houses rushed to declare their 2011 vintage. Luis Sottomayor, head winemaker for Sogrape, previously said that 2011 was most powerful and concentrated Port vintage he had seen in 23 years of working in the Douro Valley.

At the London launch of Casa Ferreirinha’s Reserva Especial 2007, we caught up with Luis Sottomayor, the winemaker of both this renowned Douro wine and arguably Portugal’s most famous table wine, Barca Velha.

What is special about the release of Casa Ferreirinha Reserva Especial 2007?

Luis Sottomayor: It’s the first one I’ve handled from start to finish since I became head winemaker for Sogrape in the Douro in 2007 [though he has worked as a winemaker for Casa Ferreirinha since 1989]. I decided on the 1997, 2001 and 2003 vintages of Reserva Especial and the 2000 and 2004 Barca Velha, but this is the one I’ve seen all the way from vineyard to bottle.

You’re going to say it’s one of the best vintages ever, aren’t you?

LS: Yes, but it is! In fact, it if we hadn’t just released what I consider is the best-ever vintage of Barca Velha, the 2004, then this 2007 Reserva Especial could have been a Barca Velha. [There have only been 16 vintages of Reserva Especial since 1960 and 17 vintages of Barca Velha since 1952]

What is the difference between them and how do you decide?

LS: It is a tough and personal decision. I can’t define it. The two are born as the same wine and maturation dictates what it will become. Both have to be fresh, structured and ageworthy and partner with food. The wine is tasted regularly of course, but the decision on what to label it is not made until the wine has spent at least five years in bottle [a Burgundy bottle unique to these two wines in the Casa Ferreirinha stable]. I make the final decision at my dining table.

Has there ever been a time when you think the wrong decision was made?

LS: Once, in 1998, we had to rebottle the wine as a colheita because we did not think it was good enough for either Barca Velha or Reserva Especial. And I think maybe, on tasting the 1986 Reserva Especial, it could have been a Barca Velha. It was before my time with the company, but Fernando Nicolau de Almeida [the creator of Barca Velha] said there was a little bit of greenness on the aroma so that’s why it wasn’t chosen. I think that was from Portuguese oak, which was used then, not unripeness. You taste the wine now and that green note has disappeared, so maybe…The 1994 too. I could eat that wine!

What is the blend?

LS: Essentially Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional with some Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cão. The wine is fermented in 225-litre French oak barrels, 75% of which are new. The grapes all come from vineyards at different elevations at Quinta da Leda and Quinta do Sairrão in the Douro Superior. This means we can ensure the acidity and freshness in the wine, which guarantees its longevity and ability to be enjoyed with food.

And any clues on what the next declarations of Barca Velha or Reserva Especial will be?

LS: If I told you, I’d have to kill you! All I can say is that it is not 2010 or 2012. You’ll have to wait and see.

Barca Velha is about £220 a bottle and Reserva Especial about £120 a bottle, with very limited allocation as only about 30,000 bottles are made. In the UK, contact Berkmann Wine Cellars for details.

Written by Tina Gellie

Decanter recently attended an event to mark the 200th anniversary of Cockburn's port, tasting not only the cask sample of the 2014, but also past vintages going back as far as 1863.

Cockburn’s Port; tasting the 1934 vintage

The London-based bicentenary tasting organised by the Symington family was accurately billed as a ‘once in a lifetime’ event. There was a palpable sense of reverence among the small group of seasoned professionals lucky enough to snag an invite, as they were served a procession of vintage Ports, each older than the last.

Starting with a cask sample of the as yet undeclared 2014 vintage, the wines got older and older, until the last bottles in existence of the 1868 and 1863 vintages were poured. The tasting also featured some of the few remaining bottles of the legendary Cockburn’s 1908 vintage, plus two vintage Ports that were never ‘declared’ by Cockburn’s, the 1934 and 1918. See Richard Mayson’s tasting notes from the night here.

Cockburn’s was bought by the Symingtons in 2010 following years of neglect under corporate ownership. Five Symingtons – Paul, Johnny, Rupert, Johnny and Charles – presented the wines, and explained the hard work involved in restoring the reputation of the house.

‘We found some horrors and some fabulous assets,’ said Charles Symington, who oversees winemaking across all Syminton estates. ‘It was like buying an Aston Martin which had been badly restored, then finding all the original parts in the garage and rebuilding it.’

‘Historically Cockburn’s had dominated the Douro and its Ports commanded high prices. We wanted to find out what had been behind its success and use this knowledge to help shape our 2011 vintage [also tasted],’ explained Paul Symington.

The success of this aim was evident, as orders were made for the 2011 vintage by leading UK merchants who hadn’t ordered Cockburn’s in half a century.

See also:

• Richard Mayson’s guide to Port styles
• Expert’s Choice: vintage Port 1994

Written by Amy Wislocki

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Decanter recently attended an event to mark the 200th anniversary of Cockburn's port, tasting not only the cask sample of the 2014, but also past vintages going back as far as 1863.

200 years of Cockburn: tasting notes

Cockburn 2014 (cask sample)

Single quinta wine from Quinta dos Canais, made from over 70% Touriga Nacional with a slug of Sousão for colour and acidity: very deep, inky colour; still raw on the nose but floral with spring blossom; already quite suave, rich and opulent with a broad dusting of tannin, not especially big but elegant. With rain during vintage this was a year for the Douro Superior. ***/****

Cockburn 2011

A blend based on Quinta dos Canais and Quinta de Vale Coelho made in a fairly dry style; ‘as dry as Dow’ according to Charles Symington: deep and youthful in colour; closing in the nose with underlying delicacy and finesse, cassis with a floral Touriga Nacional fragrance; smooth, suave cassis and berry fruit, firm but not massive in structure, long and beautifully balanced. With Cockburn’s looking to recapture their reputation for vintage Port, this is one of the best value wines of the vintage. ****

Cockburn 1977

A generally declared year, but not declared by Cockburn who were busy building up Cockburn’s Special Reserve at the time. Consequently this wine was bottled as ‘crusted’: mid-garnet with a pink – browning rim; open, fragrant, with a wild edge, a touch herbal with eucalyptus on the nose; delicate in style, cherry stone fruit with firm peppery tannins and an attractive bitter-sweet finish. Still standing up well, if just a touch rustic in style. ***

Cockburn 1969

This is the year Cockburn launched Special Reserve which subsequently became the best-selling Port in the UK. It was a year of low yields and rain fell just before vintage, consequently no one declared: mid-garnet though still fresh and youthful in appearance; gentle berry fruit on the nose, still fresh though not especially aromatic; soft with a savoury / meaty character mid-palate, plummy fruit with lovely richness evident at the core yielding to a bitter-sweet dark chocolate finish retaining a dusting of tannin. A rather lovely, rare and very unusual wine. ***/****

Cockburn 1967

An unusual declaration with Cockburn eschewing the generally declared 1966s in favour of 1967: pale-mid garnet-tawny; delicate, fragrant and a touch medicinal on the nose with a hint of jelly babies(!); soft, sweet and gentle on the palate but by no means lean, peppery tannins with a lovely sweet. Spicy finish. Beautifully balanced, in its prime and effortless to drink. ****

Cockburn 1965

This was a good second-string vintage with some attractive single quinta wines made despite sporadic rain during vintage. This is undeclared: deeper in colour than the 1967; surprisingly rich in style for the year, black cherry and a touch of dark chocolate at its core; very opulent in style retaining lovely purity of fruit, medicinal sweetness backed by peppery tannins with the opulence returning on the finish. ****

Cockburn 1947

Declared by Cockburn in preference to 1945. Ideal weather conditions: damp spring, hot summer, low yields and fine weather during the harvest meant the lagares took plenty of work: lovely garnet-to-tawny colour; a touch roasted on the nose and possibly drying out, coffee bean; wonderful bitter-sweet richness, fleshy and almost fat in style backed by good tannic grip followed by a smooth, suave finish. Lovely balance: impresses more on the palate than on the nose. ****/*****

Cockburn 1945

An outstanding year, bypassed by Cockburn when others declared a ‘victory vintage’. Due to lack of bottles at the time this was probably kept in demi-johns and bottled later as a garrafeira: consequently pale and faded with a tawny rim; gentle, lifted orange peel aromas; smooth and delicate in style, mellifluous with lovely richness mid-palate and an elegant, almost creamy finish. Hard to judge this as a vintage Port but good nonetheless. Just two bottles of this wine remain. ***

Cockburn 1934

A successful year, declared by some though not by Cockburn: wonderful, youthful pink colour; still fresh, most attaractive on the nose with real depth underlying; sweet and minty, remarkably fresh with berry fruit still evident. Long and lovely. This has developed beautifully and is seamless from start to finish. *****

Cockburn 1924

Another successful declaration overlooked by Cockburn. There is just one bottle of this wine left: pale tawny-orange; volatile on the nose, this is rather more than vinagrinho; hot, sweet and edgy, orange peel with a burnt edge, quite exotic in style, much better on the palate than it is on the nose but I find it hard to award a mark. No stars.

Cockburn 1918

A fine harvest but ‘a miserable vintage’ in the words of Ernest Cockburn due to an outbreak of influenza, not generally declared: pale orange/amber; rich and aromatic, citrus peel aroma, high toned, rather heady and slightly sweaty; rich, thick cut marmalade character, still all there but rather coarse in style compared to its peers. **/***

Cockburn 1908

‘It seemed probable from the start that the year would be declared a vintage year’ wrote Ernest Cockburn and so it was for most shippers. Still with the original cork, this wine is now 107 years old and a real survivor: amazingly youthful in colour, still pink at the centre; heavenly aromas, floral and ethereal, still fresh and fragrant; rich and structured on the palate with beautiful bitter-sweet fruit and a tannic core, plenty of grip remaining on the finish, still fresh, upright and alive. Cockburn at its finest. *****

Cockburn 1868

This vintage coincides with the arrival of phylloxera which reached the Douro in 1863 but didn’t greatly reduce yields until the 1870s: remarkable pinkish colour, still looks youthful; fruit still very evident on the nose, fragrant and elegant (apparently this had some bottle stink on the nose when it was first opened but it soon dissipated); sweet cherry fruit, just drying out (but who cares!), tannins dry but still gripping with a lovely flourish of acidity keeping the finish alive. A ‘wow’ of a wine, the last two bottles of which were opened for the Bicentennial Tasting. *****

Cockburn 1863

There was just one bottle of this wine, opened for this tasting. It proved to be ‘one of the outstanding years in the history of Vintage Port’ according to Ernest Cockburn but sadly this bottle did not quite live up to its billing: pale orange-amber; maderised and high toned on the nose with an aroma of wild honeysuckle; bitter-dry character initially with a vestige of honeyed sweetness leading to a long and lasting roast coffee finish. Showing its age but hardly surprising after 152 years! Hard to award a mark. It made the freshness of the 1868 look all the more remarkable. 

See also:

• Richard Mayson’s guide to Port styles
• Expert’s Choice: Vintage Port 1994

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Is mixed ripeness – some grapes barely ripe, some almost over-ripe – desirable at harvest time?

Quinta do Roriz. Image credit: Andrew Jefford

In principle, no. Wine growers with the economic liberty to court perfection have always sought healthy grapes picked on the perfect cusp of ripeness. “If we pick a day early, it’s green. If we pick a day late, it’s prune.” That’s Edouard Moueix, talking about how sensitive the harvest date is for the Merlots of Ch Hosanna in Pomerol (see the March edition of Decanter magazine). There is no more fretful decision in a winemaker’s year than choosing exactly when to send in the picking troops.

Yes, but … the world is getting warmer. As a result, the wines made from existing vineyard plantings, conceived for a cooler world, are getting richer and headier, despite being picked two or three weeks earlier than they used to be. Long-cherished stylistic ideals are beginning to pant for breath in their wake. How do you keep freshness, lightness and balance in a crop of increasingly precocious Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc without resort to water and acid? Many producers find that picking on three or four different days helps, with the greener portions of the crop invigorating the riper, later passes.

That, though, is not all. As I discovered recently in Portugal’s Douro valley, there may be other compelling reasons for abandoning the ideal of the perfectly ripe berry.

First, though, let’s go back to a cold London evening in early February. Bruno Prats, the former owner of Cos d’Estournel and latterly the proud joint-owner of Quinta de Roriz and Quinta de Perdiz in Douro, was presenting a vertical tasting of Chryseia, the Douro wine whose 2011 vintage had just been posted in third position in the Wine Spectator’s ‘Top 10 Wines of 2014’. ‘I was told when I first came here that the best wines in the Douro didn’t come from the same vineyards as the best Ports, and that the best table wine vintages were different to those for Port. Today, I am definitely convinced that the best table wines come from the same vineyards, and the same vintages, as the best Port. But you must pick at a different time; Port needs to be picked later. And so I am very much against mixed plantings, because you never know when to pick. I strongly believe in single varietal blocks.’

A little later, I was standing in Quinta de Roriz with resident viticulturalist and winemaker Luis Coelho and Prat’s joint-venture partner in the creation of Chryseia, Paul Symington of the Symington family; the Symingtons (both individually and corporately) are now the Douro’s major landowner. Few vineyards anywhere in the Douro are flat. Roriz, in fact, is less vertiginous than many, yet its vineyards still ramp up from 200 metres to 350 metres. Even in the same vineyard, Coelho says, ripening can vary for a single variety by up to two weeks. ‘We can’t afford green flavours,’ says Paul Symington. ‘We are close to 100 per cent perfection of berries here,’ he says. The team adores its Vaslin Oscillys destemmer, which Luis claims can sort grapes even more effectively than a Mistral machine. ‘If we don’t do that,’ continued Paul, ‘we can’t compete with the best wines in the world.’

That’s not the way Jorge Serodio Borges sees it. The 8ha core of his Pintas vineyards in the Pinhao valley, originally purchased from 20 different owners, are steep (50 per cent inclination, between 250 metres and 380 metres), old (around 80 years), and contain around 30 different varieties. Of course, Jorge and his wife Sandra Tavares da Silva sort their fruit too, and I doubt anyone has ever written a tasting note for Pintas that includes the word ‘green’. This has always struck me as one of the more luxurious of all Douro reds, irresistibly round-contoured despite its wealth of flavour.

But consider the data above, and you will realise that it must mean mixed ripeness. ‘I don’t agree with Bruno Prats,’ Jorge said, softly enough, when I told him what Bruno had said in London. ‘We don’t think about the varieties; we think about the vineyard as a whole. The pattern of ripeness is part of the character of the vineyard. If I pick everything at perfect ripeness, I don’t have the character of the vineyard any more.’ The Touriga Nacional he has in Pintas, he says, is usually just a little overripe, and he likes that in a blend, whereas the later-ripening Touriga Franca ‘has more acidity, and it balances the overripeness of the Touriga Nacional. I think I can achieve more balance like that than by having everything at ‘perfect’ ripeness.’ Rufete is another significant variety in the complex Pintas vineyard mix which brings acidity and freshness.

Fascinating, then, to compare the 2012 vintage of both wines, Chryseia and Pintas. Both are ample, complex and full of Douro character, which I associate with dark black fruits like damson, sloe and elderberry overlain with an exoticism and exuberance unique to the Douro. Chryseia is a little sweeter and meatier, technically well-balanced with perfumed black fruits, and very delicate tannins; unquestionably the Douro in haute couture mode, and the perfect Douro consort for Riedel or Zalto glasses, for fine table linen, for two and three-star restaurants around the world. Pintas is less purely fruity; there’s more flower, more leaf, more twig, more of the dark copse in it. It has a little more textural amplitude, and its sensual force is almost a distraction, making it easy to overlook the wine’s complexity, density and spring-heeled freshness.

Both fine wines – yet made with a very different philosophy of harvest ripeness. More proof, if you need any, that there are never any right or wrong answers in wine.

Written by Andrew Jefford

The Douro’s soils were long seen as one and the same when it came to growing Port grapes, of whatever variety. But thanks to new approaches from the major shippers, the regional subtleties of terroir are now being appreciated. Margaret Rand reports

Quick links:

• Terroir in Port
• Rand’s top 10 terroir-driven Douros

It was hiding in plain sight, of course; it’s just that nobody was looking. The shippers’ eyes were focused on their fermentation lagares and on their blending rooms in Vila Nova de Gaia. The growers’ eyes were focused on the shippers. Underneath their feet was the terroir that made one Port elegant, another muscular, another aromatic. They were aware of it, but they were looking the other way.

If you went to the Douro 20 years ago and asked about terroir, the usual reply was that Port was about blending. Yes, altitude and exposure matter – look at the Port vineyard classification, which took those factors into account nearly 70 years ago, and ranked warmer, low-altitude vineyards above those at 500 metres, and steep ones above those with a walkable incline. But soil? It’s all schist, they said, and it’s all the same. The Port demarcation simply outlines a vast area of schist soil. End of story.

In fact, that was only the beginning of the story. This is about how the shippers discovered terroir; and they did so by becoming growers. Part of that narrative is to do with table wines. Says Paul Symington of Symington Family Estates: ‘Table wines have made the Port trade see itself in a different way. When we were just shippers, it made no sense to say where the grapes were from, because they weren’t our vineyards. It was a profound change when shippers became growers.’

They didn’t become growers to make table wines but to safeguard their supplies of Port grapes, as sales of Late-Bottled Vintage promised to rocket. Then, because they foresaw labour shortages in the Douro, they also wanted to mechanise. To mechanise their terraced vineyards they had to plant them differently, and to do that they had to understand what was in them.

Those terraced vineyards housed dozens of interplanted grape varieties, some identified, some not. Terroir, if anyone had considered the matter, would have been impossibly entangled with grape mix. Every vineyard had a different field blend: how could you possibly say which differences in the wine were down to vines and which to terroir? First you had to evaluate the grape varieties: only then could you consider the terroir.

The work on grape varieties reduced the ideal Port vineyard to just five, planted in blocks. And it raised the average (though not the top) quality of Port. But Port grapes need exuberant colour, tannin, aroma and flavour. A bit of overripeness doesn’t matter for Port: extraction is short and sharp, and a few raisined grapes won’t show in the final blend. For table wine it’s a different matter.

Schist and granite

As we’ve mentioned before, think of Douro terroir and you think of schist. There’s the odd bit of hard blue schist, especially at Foz Côa in the Douro Superior, but usually it’s more friable yellow schist. Says Cristiano van Zeller of Quinta Vale D Maria: ‘Yellow schist has different textures too: you can feel the difference when you’re walking.’ Granite breaks through in places, but granite not only makes wines that are too light and acidic for great Port, but unless it’s weathered and broken down, is impenetrable to vine roots.’

Schist can be impenetrable too, if the strata are horizontal. But horizontal is not a word that springs much to mind in the Douro: the strata are folded and nearly vertical. The roots can force their way between the layers – and with less than 1.5% organic matter in the soil, the roots have to go well down to survive dry summers and freezing winters. When producers started dipping their toes into table wine, the results were mixed. ‘The wines we used to serve were indescribable’, says Symington now of his early efforts. ‘In 1998 and ’89 we started taking it seriously. About 15 years ago I thought we’d have to plant Cabernet Sauvignon here [for table wines]. I saw raisined fruit, and wondered, how can we make something beautiful?

Today’s table wines have silky tannins and aromas of blackberry, juniper and cistus wrapped around a firm black-fruited core, with alcohol in balance and oak pulled back. To make wines like these, from vineyards intended to give maximum colour and tannin, meant first looking at altitude.

António Magalhães, head of viticulture at The Fladgate Partnership (Taylor’s, Croft, Fonseca), says that the Douro vineyards were originally high up, but moved down to lower, hotter places because that’s what the Port shippers wanted: every 100m of altitude means a 0.5ºC difference in temperature. For table wines they started moving back up. ‘Higher vineyards, at 600m, are now valued because they give freshness,’ says Symington. ‘I’ve just planted

two hectares of [white] Viosinho and Arinto at 500m. It’s the first time I’ve ever planted white grapes in my life.’ Dirk Niepoort gets reds and whites from vineyards as high as 800m: ‘And we’re working more and more with granite soils. We haven’t acidified anything since 2009.’

Site specifics

Everybody loves granite now. Quinta do Vale Meão, in the Douro Superior, has lots of it. Says oenologist Xito Olazabal: ‘You can actually make good wines for Port from granite, especially white. But it’s less concentrated. We decided two years ago to make a single-vineyard Touriga Nacional from 100% granite [Monte Meão]: the wines have too much personality to blend with other wines. Granite gives different tannins and structure, more like Dão,’ whose terroir is mainly granite.

Vale Meão has alluvial sand, schist, granite and gravel all rubbing shoulders: it’s very different to the Cima Corgo, where most top Port comes from. It’s also much hotter and drier. Irrigation is necessary, and it’s proving more useful for table wines than for Port. The Cima Corgo, steeper, contoured with terraces, and itself hotter and drier than the Baixa Corgo, the source of most basic Port, now gives both table wines and Port. Which leads to an obvious question: are we seeing a separation of the Douro into different areas for Port and table wine?

The answer is: up to a point. But it’s complicated. Quite often the sites rated less highly for Port are better for table wines, and altitude can be a big part of this. Exposure is also important, and you can hardly get two consecutive metres of vineyard with the same exposure. For Port, you might wantsouth- or west-facing vines; for table wines, often north-facing, or at least with some afternoon shade.

‘When I started,’ says João Alvares Ribeiro of Quinta do Vallado, ‘we had two neighbouring parcels, with slightly different exposures. One gave one of the best wines of the quinta and the other the worst. They were planted at the same time and the grape mix was probably the same. I thought it might be a problem of extraction or something, but it was always the same. It was just a question of exposure. It makes an enormous difference.’

According to viticulturist Pedro Barbosa of Vale Meão, getting away from the river helps a lot. ‘On the one hand the river increases humidity, but on the other, it’s hotter,’ he says. ‘If you go away from the river, and 500m up, you can find sites that are 3ºC to 5ºC cooler. High, south-facing vineyards away from the river are very interesting for white.’

Quintas that make both table wine and Port – like Vesuvio, which is north-facing, with vineyards at 120m-300m – use the highest vines (ripening 10 to 15 days later) for table wine. Dirk Niepoort’s Quinta do Nápoles, opposite Quinta do Crasto, was bought by Dirk’s father for Port; Dirk didn’t think it would amount to much, but it turns out to be very good for table wine, especially reds. The Alijó and Murça areas of the Cima Corgo are proving popular for whites, says Vallado’s João Alvares Ribeiro: ‘We buy 60% of our fruit from cooler areas.’

But it’s not yet possible to draw lines in the map to say, ‘here is Port, here is table wine’. It can only be done vineyard by vineyard, even parcel by parcel. And the more you look, the more you can see.

Written by Margaret Rand

Next page

The Douro’s soils were long seen as one and the same when it came to growing Port grapes, of whatever variety. But thanks to new approaches from the major shippers, the regional subtleties of terroir are now being appreciated. Margaret Rand reports

Terroir in Port

Above: Paul Symington

Quick links:

• Rand’s top 10 terroir-driven Douros

Paul Symington notes the differences between his family company’s Quintas da Cavadinha and do Bomfim. Just 4km apart, Cavadinha has an average annual temperature of 13.8°C, while Bomfim is 15.9°C; Cavadinha has 1,065mm of rain a year, Bomfim has 777mm. Cavadinha faces southwest and is at 240m-380m altitude; Bomfim faces south, and goes up to 180m. Not surprisingly, Bomfim makes a sturdier, denser wine.

David Guimaraens of The Fladgate Partnership (Taylor’s, Croft, Fonseca) makes no table wines but has been obsessed with terroir for years. For him, and it would be hard to find anyone in the Douro who disagreed, the grape varieties, especially in old mixed vineyards, are a key part of Port terroir.

‘Quinta de Terra Feita has a different fruit and tannin profile from the same varietal mix as Quinta de Vargellas: terroir has huge influence. But subtle differences come from the grape mix, which changes from quinta to quinta, and depends on who ran the quinta.’

He said there was the Portuguese school, which favoured lots of varieties – like Quinta do Crasto’s Maria Teresa vineyard, which has 47 varieties in it – and the British school, with fewer. ‘Touriga Franca was the main variety in the Douro Valley, but Alicante was important in the Torto Valley and at Quinta da Roeda; but it’s not planted at Quinta de Vargellas at all. The Crofts planted it, but not the Fladgates.’

Terroir in the Douro as everywhere, includes the hand of the grower.

Next page Previous page

The Douro’s soils were long seen as one and the same when it came to growing Port grapes, of whatever variety. But thanks to new approaches from the major shippers, the regional subtleties of terroir are now being appreciated. Margaret Rand reports

Rand’s 10 terroir-driven Douros

Niepoort, Redoma Branco 2011

18/20pts (93/100pts)

From old mixed vineyards at Quinta da Nápoles and others at 400m-700m. Smoke and minerality, honeysuckle and white fruit; very complex.

Price: £18-£19 Cambridge Wine, Drinkmonger, Theatre of Wine, Uncorked, Vinoteca

Drink 2015-2018

Alc 13%

Quinta do Crasto 2012

17.5/20pts (91/100pts)

Nutty, buttery characters on a complex, balanced, mineral palate. Grown on the north bank of the Douro.

Price: £9.15-£11.50 widely available via UK agent Great Western Wine

Drink 2015-2017

Alc 12%

Prats & Symington, Chryseia 2011

19/20pts (96/100pts)

Comes almost entirely from Quinta do Roriz. Wonderfully spicy, elegant, defined black fruits and very mineral.

Price: £45-£81 Berry Bros & Rudd, Farr, Hedonism, Planet of the Grapes, The Wine Society

Drink 2015-2020

Alc 14%

Quinta do Vallado, Adelaide 2012

18.5/20pts (95/100pts)

From 80-year-old vines on this estate in the Corgo valley. Complex, tight, integrated, elegant and fine. A dense core of black fruit, but not fruit-driven.

Price: N/A UK quintadovallado.com

Drink 2016-2024

Alc 14.5%

Altano, Quinta do Ataide Organic 2011

18/20pts (93/100pts)

From the hot, dry Vilariça Valley, where granite hills surround flat vineyards. Concentrated aromatic fruit, beautifully defined, with a detailed texture.

Price: £9.99 Cambridge Wine Merchants, Davy, Partridges, TJ Wines, Waitrose

Drink 2015-2018

Alc 13.9%

Quinta do Vale Meão, Meandro 2011

18/20pts (93/100pts)

From the Douro Superior. Aromatic with garrigue herbs, juniper and lovely black fruits; structured and supple.

Price: £19-£21.50 Bottle Apostle, Handford Wines, Harvey Nicols, Selfridges, Theatre of Wine

Drink 2015-2018

Alc 14%

F Olazabal e Filhos, Monte Meão 2011

17.5/20pts (91/100pts)

Touriga Nacional from granite soils in the Douro Superior. Very distinct, bright red cherry character – spicy, peppery and fresh.

Price: N/A UK quintadovalemeao.pt

Drink 2015-2020

Alc 14%

Quinta do Vallado, Touriga Nacional 2011

17.5/20pts (91/100pts)

Partly from Vallado itself (fresh, concentrated), partly from the Douro Superior (flowery notes). Powerful, dense and fresh, with notes of violet and balsamic. Very fine.

Price: £22-£25 Direct Wine Imports, Exel, Nicolas, Quaff, Wimbledon Wine Cellar, Winedirect

Drink 2015-2018

Alc 14%

Quinta Vale D Maria, CV 2011

17.5/20pts (91/100pts)

A north-facing vineyard in a closed valley; hot, but not direct sun all day. Big and powerful, but still fresh and balanced sleek black fruits.

Price: £52 (2009) Corney & Barrow

Drink 2015-2020

Alc 15.5%

Quinta Vale D Maria 2011

17/20pts (90/100pts)

41 varieties make for a complex, dense, muscular wine – very harmonious too. This one’s about power, not the fruit.

Price: £30 (2010) Corney & Barrow, Tanners

Drink 2015-2020

Alc 15%

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This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for Port over £15 went to Ramos Pinto, RP., Late Bottle Vintage 2009 (19.5%)

Tasted against:

• Fonseca, Terra Prima Reserve NV
• Fonseca, Unfiltered Late Bottled Vintage 2008
• Graham’s, Late Bottled Vintage 2009

Profile:

I have always been related to wine,’ says Ramos Pinto winemaker João Nicolau de Almeida. ‘My mother came from a wine family – Ramos Pinto – and my father, Nicolau de Almeida, was also from a Port family. I guess my cot was a barrel!’

De Almeida’s first vintage was in 1982, under the auspices of his uncle José Ramos Pinto, although the first vintage for which he was wholly responsible was 1991, and it’s been that way ever since. ‘We are trying to express our terroir,’ he says of his wines. ‘We make wines from our own grapes and this contributes significantly to obtaining a unique and specific taste. Trophies like this give us the motivation to continue pursuing these strategies.’

Ramos Pinto produces more than two million bottles of wine a year, of which the majority is Port. In 2009 it made 60,000 bottles of this Trophy winner.

‘2009 was a dry, healthy year with low yields and high grape concentration,’ says De Almeida. Some 70% of the grapes come from Ervamoira in the upper Douro, with the rest from Ramos Pinto’s quinta in Bom Retiro in High Corgo. The blend is 70% Touriga Nacional and 25% Touriga Franca, complemented by splashes of Sousão and Tinta da barca.

Written by Decanter

Rural and rustic yet with style and substance, the Alentejo's warm and generous reds are much like its people, says Sarah Ahmed. Read her Alentejo travel guide here.

Alentejo fact file

Planted area: 21,970ha (11,371ha DOC, the rest Vinho Regional)

Main grapes: Reds – Alfrocheiro, Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Cabernet Sauvignon, Castelão, Syrah, Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira; Whites – Antão Vaz, Arinto, Roupeiro

Production: 892,447hl (of which 394,053hl is DOC)

Quick links:

My perfect day in Alentejo

Alentejo: Where to stay, shop, eat and relax

Introduction:

The Algarve may be Portugal’s top holiday destination, but for wine lovers, the Alentejo is Portugal’s go-to southerly region. Especially if you like the quiet life. While the UNESCO World Heritage city of Evora has impressive 15th-century Manueline architecture that speaks of a golden age when royalty lived there, this impoverished agricultural region – one third of Portugal – is today its least populated. Its expansive landscape and unspoiled Atlantic coastline is a broad canvas which, because of its star-gazing-friendly lack of light pollution, is home to the world’s first Starlight Tourist Destination – the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve.

As for wine stars, the region’s reputation wasforged by Herdade do Mouchão’s and Adega da Cartuxa’s iconic robust reds, made from the stalwart varieties of Trincadeira, Aragonez, Alicante Bouschet, Alfrocheiro and Castelão. In the 1990s, modern pioneers, such as Herdade do Esporão, João Portugal Ramos and Cortes de Cima, created fruit-forward wines with broader appeal, the best of which are sleekly sophisticated.

Red blends

Today, Alentejo is renowned for red blends, which are as warm, generous and easy-going as its people (of whom it is said have three speeds – slow, very slow and stationary). These blends might well feature Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon in addition to the non-local native varieties Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. Whites, a strength of Herdade do Esporão, are on the up now that the local grapes Antão Vaz and Roupeiro are being made in a fruitier style and blended with Arinto for freshness; and Verdelho and Viognier show promise.

‘Fruity, easy-drinking wine with soft tannins was a new way for Portugal, which started in Alentejo,’ says João Portugal Ramos. It inspired an army of followers – between 1995 and 2010 the number of producers exploded from 45 to 260, more than 60 of whom open their doors to visitors on the Alentejo Wine Route. Collect your map at the Alentejo Wine Route centre in Evora (vinhosdoalentejo.pt). In addition to showing and selling wines, the centre can schedule visits (mostly you need to book ahead and pay). With near- deserted highways the length and breadth of its arid, rolling, cork-tree-studded terrain, you cover ground quickly. Which is just as well because the Alentejo DOC comprises eight inland regions within the broader Alentejana Vinho Regional.

Of these, Granja-Amareleja’s and Moura’s scorching summers can make for strapping, rustic wines. Moderating factors (elevation, cool nights) in Borba, Evora, Redondo, Reguengos and Vidigueira produce full-bodied yet balanced reds. With its old field-blend vines (a rarity in Alentejo), the cooler northern outpost of Portalegre is a region to watch.

Limestone, schist and granite (the stone of choice for the megalithic monuments dotted around) distinguish the best vineyards, the exception being the Alicante Bouschet specialist Herdade do Mouchão (mouchao.pt). Located an hour north of Evora, Alentejo’s adopted flagship grape – a red-fleshed French crossing high in tannin and acid – thrives in deep clay. Rich, savoury and long-lived Mouchão and Tonel 3-4 (top years only) spend two years in bottle before release four or more years after vintage.

A day is well spent visiting Mouchão’s atmospheric 1901 winery and 1929 distillery and the cluster of leading wineries around Estremoz, a fortified hilltop town of low, white-washed houses half an hour away. Dona Maria’s Júlio Tassara de Bastos is another advocate of Alicante Bouschet, which is foot-trodden in lagares hewn from locally quarried pink marble (donamaria.pt).

Though expensive, by appointment you can dine in grand style at the antique-furnished, azuelos- decorated 18th-century manor house/winery of Quinta do Mouro. The owner, Miguel Loura, is not averse to a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon in his ageworthy wines; he also makes a fine Touriga Nacional. His sons or the winemaker will show you around (quintadomouro.com).

As befits his extensive wine portfolio, João Portugal Ramos offers a wide range of tours, tastings and cooking programmes (jportugalramos.com). In the hunting season, lunch might include partridge shot by the man himself.

Contemporary labels

Below the Estremoz castle and his mother’s restaurant, São Rosas, the dynamic arch of Tiago Cabaço’s new winery signals his contemporary take on wine, as do his labels .com and Blog (tiagocabacowines.com). Blog (a supple Alicante Bouschet-Syrah-Touriga Nacional blend) scooped the 2009 Talha de Ouro (Golden Wine Barrel) award for Alentejo’s best red. The vibrant yet elegant whites and reds made by the talented consultant Susana Esteban are good value.

Forty minutes south of Evora, Vidigueira marks the dividing point of the upper (Alto) and lower, hotter (Baixo) Alentejo. However, Vidigueira’s proximity to the coast and the cold air descending from the Serra de Portel escarpment tempers the heat, hence the region’s white tradition.

Quinta do Quetzal produces a benchmark toasty, tropical-fruited but mineral Antão Vaz (quintadoquetzal.com). Herdade do Rocim’s stylish winery produces an earlier-picked, elegant white, which starkly contrasts with Grande Rocim, an impressive blockbuster Alicante Bouschet (herdadedorocim.com).

At Cortes de Cima (cortesdecima.com) another French variety, Syrah, was pioneered by the Jorgensens, Danish-Americans. Visit in summer and you might catch the Danish Royal Opera singers performing. Forty minutes further south, Albernõa is home to two producers who have helped put the Beja region on the map – Herdade dos Grous (herdadedosgrous.pt) and Herdade da Malhadinha Nova (malhadinhanova.pt). In this arid region, their renowned consultant, Luis Duarte, attributes the accomplished whites and reds to gentler handling (hand picking and gravity-fed wineries), earlier picking, cold soaks (‘I don’t want the heaviness of post-fermentation maceration’) and blending (varieties and parcels) for balance.

Nowhere is the quest for elegance more apparent than in Portalegre, high on the Serra de São Mamede’s slopes. It’s currently lacking cellar doors, but perhaps not for long. The region’s cooler conditions have attracted new winemaking talent – the Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Chair for Port & Madeira Richard Mayson, for example, and the Lisbon chef Vitor Claro – along with the experienced Rui Reguinga, Susana Esteban and Herdade do Esporão’s David Baverstock. Claro says Portalegre is perfect for making food wines, which is important given his inspiration – the hearty ‘peasant’ fare of the region’s taverns (tascas) and classic egg-yolk-based convent desserts. It’s a creed of cuisine to which top restaurants remain faithful, albeit taking it to the next level. Describing Evora as Portugal’s Lyon he says that, born out of poverty, it capitalises on terrific local ingredients – meats, notably black pig, game, wild herbs, sheep’s and goat’s cheeses, and wood-oven baked breads. Try migas (stale bread, soaked or fried in olive oil or pork fat which bulks up other leftovers) as well as and filling dishes, such as açorda de bacalhau.

To get a better insight into the regional cuisine and to try a few recipes, the Refugio da Vila’s Cooking School (refugiodavila.com) is a must. Chef Pedro Sousa says the secret of Alentejo dishes is that ‘we use a lot of everything’ – not least extra virgin olive oil, so stock up on the region’s finest en route home. Like the wines, it’s world class.

How to get there:

Plane: Fly to Lisbon (2h 35min from London). Evora is 1.5 hour’s drive, and Beja two hours from Lisbon.

Written by Sarah Ahmed

Next page

Rural and rustic yet with style and substance, the Alentejo's warm and generous reds are much like its people, says Sarah Ahmed. Read her Alentejo travel guide here.

My perfect day in Alentejo

Morning

L’and Vineyards’ appeal lies in the tiny winery shoe-horned into this design- led spa hotel’s central courtyard (www.l-andvineyards.com). With winemaker Patricia Baptista to hand, the chance to engage with wine goes beyond tutored tastings and into the vineyards and winery.

Lunch

Book L’and’s wine course with tasting menu. Chef Michel Laffan’s training at leading Michelin-starred kitchens shines through in his elegant twists on Alentejo’s cuisine.

Afternoon

Fifteen minutes away, Pêra-Manca, one of Portugal’s most prestigious wines, matures in Cartuxa’s 18th-century wine cellar-cum-visitor centre (cartuxa.pt). Tours offer a range of tasting options and cover the winemaking process from past to present. You cannot taste Pêra-Manca, but it is sold at the shop (€100). Skirt Evora’s medieval walls and, 40 minutes east in Reguengos de Monsaraz, culture vultures and wine geeks alike will enjoy Herdade do Esporão (esporao.com). The archaeological museum displays prehistoric finds from Perdigões Archaeological Complex, whose ongoing excavations you can visit. A field showcases 188 different grape varieties, including rare native grapes, such as Amor-não-me- deixes (Love-don’t-leave-me). Equally strong in whites as reds, Esporão’s modern wines (and olive oils) are among the region’s best.

Evening and overnight

From Esporão, it is 75 minutes to Herdade da Malhadinha Nova (see the following page for where to stay, shop, eat and relax). Unwind in the spa before dining from the impeccably sourced seasonal menu. Open until late, the in-house bar serves excellent estate wines. Themed stays cover a wide range of activities, including harvesting.

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Rural and rustic yet with style and substance, the Alentejo's warm and generous reds are much like its people, says Sarah Ahmed. Read her Alentejo travel guide here.

Alentejo: Where to stay, shop, eat and relax

Hotels

M’ar de Ar Aqueduto, Evora

City slickers will love this central, five-star spa hotel’s elegant fusion of modern and traditional. Behind the Palácio dos Sepúlveda’s 15th-century Manueline facade, the minimalist design extends to an impressive complex of terraced sun decks and pools. mardearhotels.com

Herdade da Malhadinha Nova Hotel & Spa, Beja

Great flair and attention to detail distinguish the Soares family’s ultra-comfortable 10-room hotel, a stylish farmhouse renovation. As the surrounding vines, olive groves, pureblood Alentejo cattle, black pigs and estate-sourced menus attest, it remains a working farm. malhadinhanova.pt

Herdade do Sobrosa, Vidigueira

With more than 65 bird species, deer, mouflon and wild boar, photographic and game hunting safaris at the Machado family’s secluded 1,600ha estate (pictured below left) offer a taste of the wild. Enjoy a star-gazing tour before retreating to your Moroccan- themed room. herdadedosobroso.pt

Restaurants

Fialho, Evora

This family-run institution and training ground for many of Alentejo’s best-known chefs is a long-time champion of traditional regional gastronomy. Good old-fashioned service and an impeccable Portugal- and Alentejo-focused wine list. restaurantefialho.com

Tasquinha do Oliveira, Evora

Fialho protégé Carolina d’Oliveira’s dazzling array of petiscos (tapas) set the tone at this ambitious yet intimate 14-cover restaurant. Her husband Manuel guides you through an encyclopaedic Portuguese wine list. The mains are awesome. +351 (0)266 744 841

São Rosas de Estremoz

Tucked within Estremoz castle’s imposing battlements, Alentejan cooking is the star. The restaurant rises above the town’s leading wine estates, but as the chef/patron Margarida Cabaço makes wine too (at Monte dos Cabaços), the list is extremely well grounded. +351 (0)268 333 345

Casa do Forno, Monsaraz

Separated from Spain by the Alqueva dam, the fortified hill-top town of Monsaraz is a must-see. Here at this restaurant, simple but flavoursome dishes such as borrego no forno (roast lamb) are served in hearty portions, providing fuel for negotiating its steep, cobbled streets. +351 (0)266 557 190

Vila Velha, Vidigueira

Artfully decorated with vintage farm tools, it’s not just Paula and José António Caetano’s delicious rustic peasant fare and well- selected wines that pay homage to the Alentejan way of life. +351 (0)284 436 550

Shops

Divinus Gourmet, Evora

Local enchidos (charcuterie), cheeses, olive oils, honey and wines from many prestigious Portuguese producers. Sample here or take away. divinus.pt

Enoteca do Redondo

Housed in Alentejo’s regional wine museum, where better to make an informed purchase than at this wine-bar-cum-shop? + 351 (0)266 909 100

Previous page

Portuguese producers have a lot to shout about

Even five years ago, who would have believed that Vinho Verde would become one of Portugal’s sexiest wine regions? It’s just one example of how winemaking bravado wedded to viticultural excellence is unleashing the full potential of Portugal’s thrillingly diverse terroir and grape varieties.

In the first half of 2010, the value of Portuguese wine exports shot up by more than 20%; exports to the UK, where Portugal is becoming a popular specialist area in the independent retail sector, rose by almost 30%.

Winemakers Dirk Niepoort (who makes Port and still wines in the Douro) and Alvaro Castro (of Quinta de Saes and Quinta da Pellada in the Dão), are two examples of the country’s bursting sense of adventure, and have been at the vanguard of this revolution. Niepoort points out that he and Castro are self-taught.

Never limited by orthodoxy, they focused on terroir and indigenous varieties from the off, bucking the trend of ‘going more and more in a New World direction’.

They lead the pack in their respective regions and, having produced the innovative Douro-Dão blend Doda together, Niepoort has since become the master of creative collaborations, working his magic elsewhere.

It’s rubbing off.

The pair’s visionary approach has influenced the next generation of trained winemakers (see box p76) who, widely travelled, are laying to rest Portugal’s reputation for rustic wines while showing a healthy respect for tradition.

And it’s not just locals making waves: UK wine writer and Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Chair for Port & Madeira, Richard Mayson, and reputed French winemakers such as Bruno Prats and Michel Chapoutier have also invested in Portugal.

For Ronan Sayburn, Master Sommelier and wine director at the UK’s Hotel du Vin chain, ‘Pure, bright and fresh flavours seem to be the norm now’ which means that ‘Portugal’s diverse range of wines sit well on any quality wine list’.

From north to south, the country is a melting pot of tradition and innovation, personified by the marriage of leading domestic producers with noted overseas names. Here are just four such examples of vibrant, modern Portugal…

Prats & Symington

With 930 hectares of the Douro to their name and the ‘glamour’ of Port behind them (Graham’s, Dow’s and Warre’s are part of the group’s portfolio), the Symington family might have been gung ho about making table wine. Not so.

Paul Symington, joint managing director of Symington Family Estates says: ‘We always thought the Douro had the potential to produce great table wines, but our experience of making great reds, as opposed to Port, was limited.’

When Bordeaux veteran Bruno Prats (fresh from selling second growth Cos d’Estournel), agreed to make a super-premium table wine with them in 1998, though, the joint venture Prats & Symington was born.

Conceived in the same spirit as a boutique Bordeaux château, production is small and upmarket. Chryseia was released in 2000, followed by the second wine, Post Scriptum, first made in 2002 when fruit for Chryseia was declassified.

Prats’ chief concern, that ‘the good grapes were going to Port and the worst ones to table wines’, was allayed by ‘the Symingtons’ priceless knowledge of the Douro’.

Equally, keen to avoid the ‘brute and extract’ of old-style Douro wines, Symington looked to Prats’ ‘profound knowledge of turning outstanding fruit into one of the world’s greatest wines’.

Prats describes the wines as having ‘the Bordeaux touch: less power, with more focus on balance, finesse and elegance’ than other top Douro wines, with its limited influence of new French oak.

Quinta de Soalheiro

Antonio Cerdeira planted the first Alvarinho vines in the Vinho Verde sub-region of Melgaço in 1974.

Today, his Quinta de Soalheiro is one of the foremost producers in this most northerly Portuguese wine region, as his son Luís continues the pioneering tradition which has seen their range mushroom ever since.

Keen to improve Soalheiro’s avant-garde, wooded Alvarinho Reserve, Luís Cerdeira consulted Douro winemaker Dirk Niepoort. Niepoort, who rates the grape as ‘Portugal’s best white’, jumped at the chance to get involved – ‘the phone call took less than three minutes’, he recalls.

Having secured Cerdeira’s promise to make an unwooded Alvarinho ‘my way’, Niepoort met up with him shortly before vintage in August 2006.

The pair’s prodigious output since then includes a sleeker Reserve, with more integrated oak, and two new Alvarinhos.

Powerfully fruited yet mineral and complex, Primeiras Vinhas is naturally fermented, partly in barrel and, crucially, comes from Soalheiro’s oldest vines (as now does the Reserve).

Cerdeira describes Dócil, which has 9% alcohol and residual sugar, as ‘a German style of wine of which Dirk is a particular connoisseur’.

And why stop there? Cerdeira also makes Niepoort Girasol, a stellar example of Vinho Verde using the more delicate Loureiro grape. Like Soalheiro’s Alvarinhos, it bears eloquent testimony to the huge potential of this underrated region – as does Niepoort’s involvement, which Cerdeira believes gives an international profile to a region ‘that doesn’t have the glamour of Port’.

Cerdeira says that discerning differences in wines from older vines proved pivotal: ‘These days we understand our terroir much better, and use that philosophy to produce different styles of wine.’

Quinta do Monte d’Oiro

The Douro has become a magnet for famous Bordelais, including Bruno Prats, Jean-Michel Cazes, François Lurton and Bernard Magrez. The Lisboa appellation (previously called Estremadura) may not have the Douro’s caché, but its potential for great Syrah sparked the interest of Rhône Valley legend Michel Chapoutier.

The owner of Quinta do Monte d’Oiro, José Bento dos Santos – who planted the country’s first Syrah in 1992 – befriended Chapoutier in the 1980s. Which explains why he owns an ‘extraordinary’ massal selection of Syrah (cuttings from Chapoutier’s old vines in Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie and St-Joseph) and why his winemaker Graça Gonçalves is advised by Chapoutier’s chief oenologist Grégory Viennois.

For Bento dos Santos, Chapoutier’s involvement ‘has been of tremendous help to achieve perfection and consistency in our wines’. Côte-Rôtie style, with a dash of Viognier, the Reserva is supremely layered and complex compared to other Portuguese Syrahs. Madrigal, a 100% Viognier, also shows great subtlety.

The French-Portuguese relationship is a true cultural exchange in their joint project Domaine Bento & Chapoutier. Their Ex Aequo (first made in 2006) is a velvety, rich, floral blend of Monte d’Oiro’s Syrah and Touriga Nacional, Portugal’s flagship grape.

Describing the latter as ‘as great a grape as Syrah’, Chapoutier has since planted Touriga Nacional in France.

Quinta do Centro

‘I’m old enough to remember the fruitless, oxidised whites and dried out, tannic reds Portugal used to like and that were completely out of tune with foreign markets,’ says Richard Mayson (left) a wine writer and Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Chair for Port.

When he decided to ‘make a wine rooted in Portugal but shaped by international markets’, he joined forces with renowned consultant Rui Reguinga, who makes wine throughout Portugal and abroad.

The rolling plains of the warm, southerly Alentejo region is much better suited to volume production than mountainous regions like the Douro.

With frenzied planting of native and international grapes over the past decade, it has forged a reputation for soft, fruity, export-friendly wines. But Mayson and Reguinga wanted to do something different. ‘You can’t afford to shun international influence and experience, but it’s important to respect and build on the best Portuguese traditions,’ says Mayson.

In 2005, he acquired the 20-hectare Quinta do Centro, perched at 500m–560m on the slopes of the Serra de São Mamede in the Alentejo’s northernmost sub-region of Portalegre. ‘It has the altitude, freshness and diurnal variation for longer maturation, lower alcohols, more freshness and acidity,’ says Reguinga.

With a foot in the vineyard (traditionally planted with local varieties) and another in the market, the partners have produced ‘a terroir-based red that can be drunk outside Portugal’.

Pedra Basta reflects the region’s rocky granite terrain and what Mayson describes as ‘stony mountain fruit character’ that can be seen in cooler vintages like 2007 and 2008. ‘It’s fresher, more fruit pure, but it’s a Portuguese wine,’ says Reguinga.

Written by Sarah Ahmed

John Downes MW explores the port world's long history of Anglo-Portuguese rivalry.

Porto clings for dear life to the steep banks of the Douro at its Atlantic mouth. The daytime views of the port lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia are breathtaking, but it’s the night view that steals the show. More reminiscent of Hollywood than Portugal, enormous illuminated letters announcing the names of the famous port houses perch high on the hillside.

While many of the signs for the English port companies are missing a letter or two, the names of the Portuguese houses shine brightly. Could it be, I wondered, that the Portuguese are at last pushing the English out of the frame? Can the likes of Barros, Kopke, Ferreira and Ramos- Pinto snatch the spotlight from such names as TAY OR’S, GRA AM’S and CO KBURN’S ? Maybe, but it won’t be easy, for history is on the side of the British. Way back in the 17th century, cut off by war from their Bordeaux lifeline, the English found a worthy substitute just around the Bay of Biscay when they fell in love with the wines of the Douro. The passionate affair was sealed in 1703 by the Methuen Treaty, an agreement that gave favourable duty rates to their new Portuguese mates, much to the disgust of French winemakers.

Unfortunately the Portuguese wines didn’t travel well, and so some bright spark came upon the idea to ‘fortify’ them with an alcohol boost against the journey home. Port was born and, as they say, the rest is history. The English soon owned quintas along the baking Douro Valley, which gave them a flying start over their Portuguese rivals. ‘That early advantage gave them a great foothold in the all-important English market,’ notes Antonio Rocha Graca, Ferreira’s technical director, ‘but we’ve since caught up.’

https://www.decanter.com/premium/top-portuguese-white-wines-412995/

Modern times

Times have changed. Despite healthy rivalry between individual the English and Portuguese houses, they’re working together to drive up quality. An association to improve viticulture in the Douro is just one of many Anglo-Porto initiatives. ‘They regularly taste each other’s wines and even marry each other these days,’ quips Niepoort’s Nuno Borges.The results of this collaboration are impressive, and port sales continue to grow, year on year. The Portuguese houses are at the cutting edge of vineyard technology, where advances include the planting of varietal blocks, as opposed to the old practice of planting each of the main varieties – Tourigas Nacional and Francesa, Tinto Cäo and Tintas Roriz and Barroca – willy nilly across the Douro Valley’s steep schistose slopes. ‘Planting varietal blocks not only allows optimum picking and more blending control, it also minimises vineyard treatments,’ confirms Ferreira’s Vasco Magalhaes. Levels of investment are also impressive, with Ferreira’s £2.2 million Quinta de Leda and Niepoort’s new winery at Quinta de Napoles catching the eye. However, it’s interesting to note that many quintas shun the latest technology and stick with traditional foot treading in lagares. Forty per cent of our port and all our vintage port is foot-trodden – it gives better colour and tannins,’ says Ramos Pinto’s export director Jorge Rozas.

No matter how close the two camps are today, old beliefs die hard, and as you travel around the Douro it’s not unusual to hear that the English are the vintage specialists whereas the Portuguese are the kings of tawny. Vintage port may only account for a meagre four per cent of the total market but as the flagship wine it’s critical for port’s premium image. The point wasn’t lost on the English, who made hay during their early dominance of the marketplace. In the minds of many the image remains strong, but the Portuguese are now also winning awards for vintage wines and the cliché is fast disappearing.

Historically, however, the ‘tawny specialist’ tag did the Portuguese untold damage. Without a vintage heritage, producers weren’t taken seriously, a situation that had a direct effect on their winemaking. ‘As we were not seen as vintage producers we didn’t sell much vintage, which meant that we also didn’t make much vintage. It was a vicious circle,’ explains Rozas.

Mediocre Port Producers No More

The vintage legacy still pays dividends for the English, however, they were looked upon as mediocre tawny producers. ‘It’s a position that we’ve now lost, but only after years of hard work,’ confirms Taylor’s managing director Adrian Bridge.Looking on the bright side, having to concentrate on wood-aged ports has given the Portuguese definite advantages in today’s tawny-friendly market. Not only do they hold wonderful reserves of old wines, they have also accumulated mind-boggling expertise in the art of blending. ‘At Niepoort we continue to pass on tasting and blending expertise from generation to generation,’ confirms Borges.While some still hype up the rivalry between the Portuguese and the English, the disappearance of the old, fuddy-duddy market brought the two nations together long ago. In an age of multinationals and mergers, there’s no time for petty feuds. ‘The competition is now between brands and non-brands, even within the same group,’ confirms Barros. With both Barros and Kopke under his control, Barros knows that each must be successful, a puzzle that is solved by promoting each brand in different markets. ‘While Kopke is big in the Benelux countries, Barros is top in Spain, Canada and France.’

The modern alliance has also quashed the myth that each nationality produces its own distinct style of port. Today, you’re more likely to discover different styles under the same roof. ‘Offley and Ferreira are both under the Sogrape umbrella and there’s a definite taste difference between the two tawnies,’ says Ferreira’s technical director, Jose Maria d’Orey Soares Franco. A comparative tasting of 10-year-old tawnies confirms that Offley’s nutty, oxidised style is in complete contrast to the fruitier Ferreira hallmark.

The joint exploitation of the fast-growing market for the Douro’s red wines by both Portuguese and English families is ample demonstration of their good relationship, though the question of who first saw the potential is open to (sometimes heated) debate. Portal’s director Pedro Mansilha Brance is more than prepared to stake his claim. ‘If there’s one thing that makes Quinta do Portal different from the English it’s that we invested in our vineyard and winery for the production of still red and moscatel wines as well as of port.’ Another of Porto’s oldest and largest Portuguese companies, Royal Oporto, is also confident of its Douro reds. ‘We produce about 15 million bottles of wine a year and 30 per cent of these are still,’ says marketeer Joanna Santos.And, while it might well be tempting for some to promote the idea of 12 rounds between two heavyweights who are itching to knock hell out of each other, if you’re looking for such a fight in the Douro you’re about 20 years too late.

It would make a great Who wants to be a Millionaire question. For £32 000, what is Touriga Nacional? Bet your bottom dollar many contestants would go for the Portuguese football team option – it wouldn’t get them up to the next level, but they would at least be in the right country. Only the wine buff would confidently press the ‘Portuguese grapes’ button.

Unlike the modern stars of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay that excel as solo artists, Touriga Nacional belongs to a Portuguese team of stay-at-home, indigenous varietals that are happiest when blended, be that in table wines or in port. Hence, it rarely adorns a label.

First white ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ released

But things are changing. Portuguese red table wines occupy ever widening sections of our wine shelves and as interest in all things vinous gathers pace TN, as it’s affectionately known, is fast becoming Portugal’s flagship varietal. Douro winemakers who have traditionally blended Touriga are now promoting solo performances.

Like many top Douro men, Quinta da Gaivosa’s winemaker Domingos Alves de Sousa, long an opponent of the New World varietal route, is changing his music, if not his tune. ‘I still believe that the Douro favours blends, as they are rich and more complex, but I’ll follow the fashion as long as quality prevails,’ he smiles.

Before somebody from the back shouts that the Douro predominantly produces port, it’s interesting to note that more than half the Valley’s grapes go to still red table wines. To prove a point, statistics show thatin 1996 only around 40% were allocated to port production.

Winemaker João Nicolau d’Almeida at port and red wine producers Ramos Pinto has been experimenting since 1976 with grape varieties, linking them to different terracing methods, microclimates, soils and vineyard altitude. These years of painstaking appraisal have shown something that producers suspected all along. ‘The five traditional port grape varieties of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Francesa, Cão, Tinta Roriz (a.k.a Tempranillo) and Barroca have proved to be the best,’ says Almeida. The results have not sent Ramos Pinto rushing down the single varietal route, but its celebrated Duas Quinta red nonetheless benefits from 70% of powerful Touriga Nacional topped up with 30% Tinta Barroca.

To the grape buff, Touriga Nacional is the king of the Douro, but this accolade is somewhat misleading. Yes, it is generally agreed to be the finest Douro variety and an all-important ingredient to top vintage port, not to mention the best reds, but amazingly it’s not as widely planted as many believe. ‘At present, TN accounts for only around two percent of grapes in the Douro Valley,’ says Noval’s managing director Christian Seely. But like Jekyll and Hyde, Touriga Nacional has two faces.

The smiling side of TN’s character is that with enormous reserves of black fruits and massive mouth-filling tannins, it’s a must for classic vintage port. ‘It provides the body, depth and intensity of fruit, and contributes significantly to the stamina and longevity of the wine,’ explains Taylor’s managing director, Adrian Bridge.

Now for the darker side of TN’s character. The problems start in thevineyard. Firstly, the grape is an incredibly low yielder, often giving less than half a litre of juice per vine. The vines are difficult to cultivate and although the yield is low the plant’s vigour is very high. ‘Unlike the upright Cabernet Sauvignon it has a lax, drooping posture making it a pain to train,’ adds Bridge.

Regardless of these horror stories, Touriga is a consistently brilliant quality performer in the best vintages and many Quintas are increasing their plantings. ‘We’ve now embarked on a 50% Touriga vineyard programme at Noval,’ confides Seely. For the enlightened producer, gone are the traditional Douro ‘blocks’, which included many varieties planted willy-nilly. Now vineyard blocks are given over to single varieties, to facilitate blending by design rather than chance.

‘It needs to be sited on shallow, stoney, relatively infertile soils,’ says Taylor’s Nick Heath. ‘It also likes lower sites in the full sun,’ observes Seely. Full sun in the Douro means the summer mercury pushing the 40˚C mark so it’s obvious that the small berries can tan without sun oil on their way to producing their youthful mouth puckering tannins!

The strictly classified Douro vineyard system is essentially geared to fortified and not table wines, with the top A and B sites consistently yielding the best port fruit. The neat formulae can be turned on their head when it comes to table wines. ‘Often it’s the lower rated vineyards with their cool damp aspect that are best suited to reds,’ says Cockburn’s PR manager Antonio Graca. The aristocratic Touriga, however, goes its own way and favours the top sites for port and still wine alike.

Understandably, in the winery TN’s high potential fruit and mouth-coating tannins require careful control. But if that’s not enough, in aromatic terms the variety is a very late developer. Much of the heady, big fruit opulence of the best port vintages is attributed to TN but you need patience. ‘Its complexity usually takes many years to develop, particularly in a bottle-aged wine,’ explains Bridge. Such ageing problems are not only restricted to fortified wines. Ramos Pinto releases Duas Quintas three to four years after the harvest to achieve balance, for not even the addition of the more subtle Barroca can completely restrain TN. If you’re thinking that Touriga is only grown in the sizzling Douro, I’ll tell you a story. Calling all wine drinkers who go back beyond 1990. Do you remember those excellent Dão reds with a three quid price tag that graced our shelves about 15 years ago? To the disgust of a growing fan club, the wine disappeared after six months. The substitute had the same label but the wine was different. I asked Mañuel Olivera of the Quinta dos Roques about the wines.

‘Those better wines were probably made predominantly from Touriga Nacional, the later wines from the high-yielding Baga, a variety that isn’t best suited to Dão but one that obviously fitted that high volume very well,’ he explains.

The variety was recorded as a main player ‘for colour’ way back in the 1860s and today’s Dão DO demands that a minimum of 20% of Touriga is included in all reds. If Barroca is its partner at Ramos Pinto, Alvaro Castro at Quinta de Saes goes with Roriz. ‘We’ve found that Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz perform best on the Dão’s granite soils and we’ve replanted these two to replace other varieties,’ he says. Touriga obviously takes its tannic edge qualities on its travels, for Castro also extols the importance of control. ‘Control of the tannins creates the different styles and is the key to producing wines that can be drunk on release as well as having the capacity to age,’ he explains.

In the baking southern state of Alentejo, David Baverstock of Esporão keeps Touriga out of the frame. ‘I believe in blends. Look out for Trincadeira, Aragonês and Touriga Nacional: it’s the blend of the future,’ he says. He also appreciates that Touriga Nacional and Cabernet Sauvignon have a common factor – it only needs a small dollop of either to lift a blend.

Touriga may be a permanent resident around Portugal but it’s debatable whether it still has a passport. It’s respected in Australia and South Africa for its fortified wine qualities, but its global red wine potential has yet to be discovered. What’s the bet an Aussie winemaker discovers its powers in a warm French region. Maybe we’ll soon see Touriga D’Oc. Don’t forget it was my idea!

Why is Touriga Nacional a rising star?