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Hello everyone!
It’s time to get our next virtual tasting in the diary:
New #TWSTaste virtual wine tasting: Presenting…Portugal!, Thursday 16th July, 8pm-9pm
Like some of our previous tastings, we’re asking you to raid your wine rack to see what you’ve already got at home, and join together to taste along live next Thursday.
Between us, we’ll be trying to taste as many different Portuguese wines as possible!
It doesn’t matter which grape variety you’re drinking or where in Portugal it comes from - anything that you want to open is welcome, as are you!
If you haven’t got any Portuguese wines and want to open something else and taste along, that’s fine too. Bring along a bottle and join in anyway - you might find something to add to your ‘must try’ list!
Portuguese Wine Guide
If you’re new to rosé wines and would like to swot up before the tasting, have a read of our Ultimate Guide to Portuguese Wine:
A NOTE FROM OUR PORTUGAL BUYER JO LOCKE MW:
"At a seminar last year, author, columnist and authority on Portuguese wines, Jamie Goode, described Portugal as ‘a country that didn’t modernise’, that kept a ‘beautiful jumble of indigenous grape varieties’.
As a wine lover, what better reason could there be to explore Portuguese wines? The wine industry has now modernised of course, so that quality and consistency now go hand in hand with those unique grapes and flavours. And there is a new-found confidence among wine producers and a younger, more travelled and worldly generation now involved that can only continue to drive improvements. Most of Portugal’s 250+ grapes are indigenous varieties ideally suited to the varied topography and climate of this small but vinously significant country.
Douro DOC wines have led the charge for Portugal’s quality wine boom, but Bairrada, Dão and Alentejo are showing they are not to be outdone and all regions are producing exciting, individual styles, whether from new ventures like SFE’s Quinta da Fonte Souto or established ones like Adega do Mouchão, in different parts of the Alentejo region. A far smaller producer than Spain, Portugal has shown that it can compete at the value end too, with great and now reliable easy drinking styles particularly from the southern half of the country.
It is the Minho however, with Vinho Verde, that is producing the wines of the moment: pure wines with Atlantic freshness and moderate alcohol perfectly suited to today’s modern fusion cuisine, al fresco dining and pre-dinner supping. These wines have scored highly in our Wine Champs tastings over the last few years and this year it was the turn of our Exhibition Alvarinho, (which has flown out the door so we are busy shipping more!), one of four Portuguese wines to step up to the podium in our current offer. Our range is somewhat depleted post lockdown but rest assured Portugal will be back!"
Here’s how to take part:
- Have a look to see if you have any Portuguese wines at home. If you don’t, you can currently mix your own cases on our website for delivery, or your nearest indie wine merchant may be able to deliver if our delivery dates before next Thursday are full.
- Reply to this topic saying what Portuguese wine you’ve got - and if you’ve got more than one option, please do share notes with your fellow members here and get advice about which bottle to open (feel free to open more than one if you like…). You could also get some serving suggestions/food matches lined up.
- Log in to the Community just before 8pm on Thursday 16th July - there’ll be a topic called ‘LIVE #TWSTaste: Presenting…Portugal! ’ where we’ll host the live event. We’ll all say which bottles we’re opening/share photos of the bottles, and then we’ll taste along together and compare notes, just like we do for a normal #TWSTaste event.
If you’re new to The Community and need help with how to use the forum for the tasting, have a read of our guide ‘How To’ - Take part in our virtual #TWSTaste events’
Who’s joining us?
- I’ll be there!
- I haven’t got any Portuguese wines, but I’ll join anyway.
0 voters
We hope you can join us! If you can’t make it, we’re currently planning the following week’s tasting and we’ll post the details soon!
See you all later.