The best of Portugal’s white wines fuse tradition and modernity, says Sarah Ahmed, who recommends her favourite new releases from recent trade tastings in the UK.
Expert’s choice: Portuguese whites
It is no coincidence that, bar one (Niepoort Redoma), all my recommended Portuguese white wines were first made this century. As they say, timing is everything.
Portugal’s whites were once dull and oxidative but, unlike the country’s reds, they escaped relatively unscathed from the late 20th century’s ‘wood means good’ trend.
In consequence, Portuguese white wines have come of age during an era that prizes freshness, restraint and intrinsic personality, emphasising the country’s diverse terroir and native grapes, not winemaking artefact.
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