I was accompanied to the event by David and David from Angle Fine Wines, a wine club/retailer in Glasgow Scotland. They had been visiting many of the wineries in the Alentejo region over the previous few days to see for themselves the wonderful landscapes and taste the great wines of the region. I was pretty impressed they chose the Alentejo region to visit in Portugal. They seemed suitably impressed by the wines and the region when I met up with them just after lunch and accompanied them into Lisbon.

After a drink in the sun close to their hotel, we headed to the conference centre. With 220 different producers to choose from it was going to be a bit of a task deciding which to visit. We decided to narrow it down to a couple of region. The first stop on entering was the Jose Maria da Fonseca stand as it was very close to the entrance. They also had not been able to taste their wines so they were encouraged to so at the fair. So after that I decided to take them to a few more Setubal Peninsular producers. Then on to a few more Alentejo wineries around Estremoz which they were not able to visit while they were here.

By chance, somewhere along the way, when we were waiting on a gathering at one of the stands, we decided to go to the one next door. Borges was the producer. They have estates in the Douro, Dão and Minho regions. I was interested in the Dão wines they produce, as I do not often get to try that many from the region. Each of the Dão wines I tasted were quite good, however it was a wine from their Douro region that interested me the most.

This week’s Wine Experience of the Week is a Port wine. I realized that I have not done a piece on a Port wine yet. This is not because I don’t like it… It is more because there are so many out there that that are very similar, it is difficult to find something out of the ordinary. The 2007 Vintage Port from Borges however, does provide something a bit different. It has great red fruit and plumb aromas. While tasting you also get some spice to go with your fruits along with some good tannins and a great long finish. It is made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz grapes all from the same vineyard. It is well worth the €35 retail price!

Many of you may know the different classifications of port, but for those who don’t, here is a very brief run-down. White, Ruby and regular Tawny ports are the most common you see in the supermarket or wine shop. They are blended from recent vintages and then bottled. As the price suggests these are the entry level port wines.

Next we have Late Bottled Vintage Port. These are wines that were picked and barreled to be vintage port, but didn’t quite make the grade to be considered vintage port. As the name suggest, these wines spend quite a while in the barrel before being bottled. This gives the wine something of a vintage port taste without the need to bottle age it for a long time.

Then there are aged Tawny ports, which bring together wines aged in barrels for many years before being blended and bottled. Depending on the age you will often find them to become lighter in color as the barrel aging takes away the deep red you find in new ports. The year on the label is something of an average, where a 20 year old port is made up of a blend of many aged barrels that fit the profile of a 20 year old port.

Lastly there are Vintage Ports. These are wines that are produced from one particular year’s harvest and often like the 2007 Borges Vintage Port, from just one Vineyard. These are only made in the years of great harvests, much like reserve table wines. Vintage ports take on the particular character of the year’s harvest. This gives them a different aroma and taste than ports that are blended from many different years. They require at least 2 years in the barrel and then 20 to 30 years aging in the bottle before they are thought to be at their best.

So if you are looking to buy this or any other vintage ports, remember to age them or buy them already aged to get the full experience of a vintage port. Most others you can enjoy straight away. If you have anything to add on different types and things that appear on port labels, please add a comment below. Also if you are looking for a big wine experience in Portugal – try and time your visit with next year’s Encontro com o Vinho! It is a great evening.

1. Make it fun
Wine is to be enjoyed not just drunk. Make having a bottle of wine an experience! Cook a great meal. Invite friends over. Select the best wine to go with both the meal and the friends who are joining. Visit a winery on your travels. Have fun with you local wine shop owner. There are so many things you can experience with wine. You don’t have to buy and drink the most expensive bottle of wine all the time, because all wines deserve to be experienced. When you look back on an evening it will be remembered for the experience, not just the wine, but we all know the wine helped.

2. Take in the wine
Wine is complicated. From varietal to varietal and from region to region there, are as many different types of wine than cars, electronic gadgets and blogs on the subject combined. Each wine brings something different to the (dinner) table. Experience and understand the wine. Learn about its value to you. The more you try, the more you will know. The more you know, the more you can experience. Then you don’t need to rely on the silly ratings other people put on wines and make your own decisions.

3. Wine is a commodity
Wine is produced from an agricultural process. The conditions the vines grow in (terroir) is the all important key to making a good wine. At the same time the sun needs to shine, rain needs to fall and frost needs to say away at all the right times for the grapes to be ideal. Then there is the winery and wine maker, who decide on the process the grapes will go through. All this goes into the bottle of wine you find at the store. All these environmental and procedural considerations create the value of a wine. If done right, the value of the wine will grow as it matures – when stored correctly. So pay the right price for it, enjoy it when the time is right and most of all don’t waste it.

4. Everything in moderation
Now this can go for just about anything in life. Over consumption does not help you experience wine any more than a glass or two. Have enough to get the most from the wine, but not too much more. As we all know, wine contains alcohol and does get you drunk no matter how nicely it goes down. Above all, never drive after drinking. Take public transport. It’s better for you, other people on the road and the environment.

5. Be open minded
If someone’s taste in wine is different to yours, it is just that – different, not better or worse. Everyone has their own taste and they have their right to be different. Rather than turning your nose up at it, understand why they enjoy the wine, you may learn something. Don’t bore other people with your knowledge about a wine if it isn’t fun for them. Let’s face it, there are far more important things going on in the world than fermentation techniques and filtering processes. Talk about the world and common interests, wine will help these conversations more often than not.

Please share you maxims/guidelines with us, we would love to hear more!

This year was a little different than most recent years for me. No, I was not waiting up all night to see if Santa would give me what I was wishing for, nor was I wanting to see Rudolf’s red bright nose in the skies. Instead, I was filled with the expectation of trying some of the wines I have been accumulating in anticipation of a special occasion. I decided this year that Christmas was a special enough occasion to open one or two. I am all for spontaneous celebratory occasions, or in other words, inviting some friends over at the last minute and opening a bottle of wine, but I tend not to get a really good bottle out for these occasions. However, for this Christmas was going to be one of indulgence and enjoyment!

I decided to go with a big Portuguese red with the roast lamb, which I will update you on in the near future. However the highlight of the holiday season for me was something richer, something to go with the dessert cheese platter. Something made just for this time of year. Something I can build up enough to be worth all the anticipation of a kid at Christmas…

This week’s Wine of the Week is the R.L. Buller & Son Old Vine Muscat. This fortified wine from one of the premier producers of the Rutherglen region in Australia is an ideal finish to a rich meal. Its raisin flavors match a good cheese platter perfectly. It is probably not something you would want to drink all day everyday, but the long and luscious finish is an outstanding finish to a heavy over indulgent meal.

Buller and Sons has a long history of producing innovative fortified wines. They also produce some good table wines, however it is their sweeter fuller wines that really put them out in front as a producer. The conditions in this region are hot and dry. There are only wineries in this region because of the Murray River which provides some much needed water occasionally when the dry summers are in full swing. The hot, distressing conditions make for lots of sugar in the surviving grapes. Lots of sugar means lots of sweetness, which is perfect for after dinner wines. This particular wine was one of the few I prioritized to travel back from Australia with my luggage purely to enjoy after Christmas dinner. It is unique to its region and hard to find outside of Australia. If you do see it in your wine shop however, snap one up, head to the local cheese shop and pick out some very good soft cheeses. I am sure you will be very happy after your meal if you do!

The stories of the origin of these wines are varied. It could well have been a bumbling vineyard hand who put the brandy in with the wine. Regardless of the reason behind the “invention” of fortified wines, we can now enjoy these versatile wines as a desert wine or as an aperitif.

This week the Wine of the Week is another fortified wine. The Jose Maria Fonseca 1998 Muscatel Roxo. This wine is made in Portugal and is made in a similar way to Port and Madeira. What makes the Muscatel Roxo different is that it is made from the rare purple Muscat grape. The winery is trying to re-introduce these grapes as a viable species with this wine. The muscatel wine is often referred to as Setubal, which is where Jose Maria Fonseca is located. This type of wine is famous in the region that is just outside Lisbon in Portugal. It may not be as well known as the other fortified wines of Portugal; Port and Madeira, but this wine in particular is more interesting and very easy to enjoy as a desert wine at room temperature or as an aperitif served chilled.

Fortified Muscatel, or Setubal, is not as well known as Port or Madeira, but it offers itself as a very versatile wine for before or after a good meal. At around €10 for the latest vintage it is fantastic value compared to a good Port or Madeira.

I hope you are able to find and enjoy one soon.