Sarah Ahmed: My top 10 Portuguese fine wines of 2021

If there was ever a year to challenge perceptions that Portugal’s forte is best value wines, 2021 is it. From the ‘stars-aligned’ 2011 Douro vintage, Casa Ferreirinha Barca Velha – the original icon – is a shoo-in. I say ‘original’ because it has plenty of company these days, including several outstanding maiden releases in 2021.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Sarah Ahmed’s top 10 Portuguese fine wines of 2021

First among equals is Herdade do Rocim Jupiter Code 01 2015 – a traditionally made Alentejo talha (amphora) field blend.

Launched at a stratospheric £1,000 a bottle, it smashed the glass ceiling with Portuguese style and panache. No less heavenly, yet at a price tag which orbits closer to earth, my top 10 selection from Rocim comes from the same vineyard as Jupiter. Aged in both talha and French oak, Herdade do Rocim Vinha Micaela 2018 conforms more closely to the classical fine wine paradigm.

Wine & Soul Guru NM Branco and Ramilo Ramisco Rosé (the finest Portuguese example yet encountered) also draw on heritage varieties and wine-growing traditions, whilst pushing boundaries. Guru’s old field blend Douro grapes were planted for white Port production – doubtless non-vintage blends, so why not make a non-vintage light white wine? Guru NM (short for ‘No Millésime’) does just that with profound results.

Just several ungrafted hectares of each of Colares DOC’s two signature grapes are planted in the coastal region’s deep sandy soils. Departing from tradition (hence the Lisboa Vinho Regional classification), Ramilo’s pioneering rosé is vinified from 300kg of its 2,000kg haul of the rare red Ramisco grape. It is a statement wine of great subtlety and, above all, salinity and minerality. As is another rather more pungent oceanic wine from the Azores.

Farming around 100ha has not eclipsed Azores Wine Company’s desire to single out special vineyards, including Vinha dos Utras. Truly marginal, it lost ground to Atlantic storms in 2019. Ramos Pinto’s CEO Jorge Rosas is similarly taking ‘a closer zoom’ to showcase best performing parcels or blocks in top years with new Douro launch, Ramos Pinto Quinta de Ervamoira 2018.

Stand-out vintages from Quinta do Soalheiro (Vinho Verde) and Luís Pato (Bairrada), plus Quinta do Mouro and Dona Maria (Alentejo) complete my top 10.

At £20, my most pocket-friendly pick – Soalheiro Granit 2019 – attained the joint highest score in Decanter’s Spain versus Portugal Albariño versus Alvarinho panel tasting. Pitched against 18,093 wines from 56 countries, Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas 2019 was one of only 50 to receive a Best of Show at Decanter World Wine Awards 2021.

Portugal’s fine wines are worth seeking out because they excel. With peak confidence in Portugal’s DNA, they also bring something new to the top table.

Sarah Ahmed’s top 10 Portuguese fine wines of 2021