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Can I ask for a bit more information please on the Portuguese wine selection. There is a bottle called AdegaMae Lisboa red apparently arriving this week. There is no information about the grape varieties. I find that very odd.
There used to be a white AdegaMae which looks sold out but again no grape information.
Generally when you click on ‘More information’ for a lot of the Portuguese list you just get a short summary of all the wine regions but nothing about the wine.
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Agree!
Also while not related to the Society’s Portuguese offerings, well timed, as there’s a Portuguese AMA on the community today, so might be worth sticking around for that if you’re free and interested in Portuguese wine.
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Now looking at the wine, it says “touriga nacional and syrah” in the blurb about it, so it’s not like they don’t know what it is (presumably very peppery!).
Thanks for the information. I am wary of Portuguese reds with Syrah. They often taste too sweet and jammy for my palate!
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Yeah. I wonder if being from Lisboa and thus more coastal, the cool breeze from the Atlantic keeps that under control a bit, but my general experience of Syrah that far south is generally jam.
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There was a fantastic Alvarino a couple of years ago. I really loved it and wonder if the Society will have it again. Portugese wines are a love of mine, so relatively under-rated. This one was a star and I hope they have it again!
https://www.thewinesociety.com/shop/HistoricProductDetail.aspx?pd=PW7521
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I came to Portugal as a Brexit refugee and have been here since.
There’s certainly a lot of Syrah in the south, usually as part of a blend, and yes, most of it is too warm for me too. One good thing though it that now there’s hardly any of the dreaded Cabernet 
One very significant exception is of course Quinta de Monte d’Oiro, an estate near Lisbon which has specialised in Syrah for many years and aims to make a Cote Rotie style wine.
There’s no getting away from the fact that S Portugal (Alentejo and Algarve) are hot wine regions, with little altitude to temper that. Winemakers are, however, intensely aware of this and this is very clear in much of the winemaking, which is almost universally of a high standard.
Fresher reds are very much on the agenda here, though, with “natural” wine in the form of “vinho de talha”, made in traditional amphoras, in the Alentejo, and in the Algarve the choice of varieties like the traditional Negramole (for light “clarete” type reds) and Sousao (the Vinhão of the Minho, which keeps its wild acidity even down here where it’s 25 degrees in March!). Óbviously these wines are still something of a minority.
For whites the Faustian bargain is often to maintain acidity while getting the flavour that comes with ripeness. If you pick early you lose a lot of that flavour. Arinto has always been popular for its high acidity, but is often quite neutral. However, the Antão Vaz grape is of high quality and very characterful, and again there are some very interesting and well made white “vinho de talha” blends. The Algarve has Crato (Roupeiro further north) which can make very unique and characterful wines, and there are new plantings on the windswept west coast, with a very decent Sauvignon (highly prized and premium priced here) and even a nice light Pinot.
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yup, I LOVED that too - always tried to keep bottles a few extra years to taste the evolution - but never quite managed it.
I was asking @simonjwoolf about that in the Foot Trodden AMA as that was one of the wines I miss from TWS the most. I assumed no longer available, but apparently still made, so need to get it back on the radar 
PLEASE 
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That’s lovely to know that other people feel the same. I do hope it comes back in the spring - it would make a lovely wine for hot days…
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Oh goodness - this topic has rather lain idle. I would like to revive it, realising that all the wine I just got in the order that arrived today was from Portugal. As well as the wonderful Mendes that’ll be doing me over the summer, I got this wonderful fizz that has a very nice distinctive taste. I happily enjoyed two bottles of it so it was a definite for a box of six. This is a definite and enthusiastic recommendation. I could see it go with cheese, with chicken, or in my case, with some decent crisps and dip 
https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/vadio-rose-bruto-bairrada-2018
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This wine is proving popular on the forum - we enjoyed it last weekend (and yes, @Inbar, my resolve did break and six of them made their way to reserves…). Great selection by Jo.
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Happy day - new vintage of the Portuguese red now in stock 
https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/the-societys-portuguese-red-peninsula-de-setubal-2021
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I’m liking the apparent 0% alcohol!
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Oh that’s good …. Healthy lol
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