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It has come to my attention that I haven’t written a column dedicated to red wine in almost two months. So sue me – it’s been hot. Mercifully, though, temperatures look to be dropping soon, so we can once again cup the bowl of a wine glass without worrying about it getting a little warmer as its aromas unfasten.
To help us wean ourselves off sprightly rosés and buttery whites, let’s turn our heads to easy-drinking reds – and none are more easy to drink or of the moment than Portuguese red blends. These wines are uniquely indicative of the country’s winemaking history, with more than 250 native grapes (some of which have different names from region to region), but I’d wager that many of us wouldn’t be able to name many more than two of these indigenous varieties. To start with there’s the sumptuous baga, touriga nacional (widely considered to be Portugal’s fine red grape variety) and castelão, which yields a variety of styles, but that’s just a handful, and it’s very likely you’ve drunk one or all of them before.
Why, then, are Portuguese single varietal wines (that is, those featuring only one type of grape) so hard to come by? There are a few reasons for this. First, so-called “vineyard” or “field blends” are so common in Portugal because old vines of different varieties are often planted side by side, rather than separated by type, as in most commercial vineyards. It’s therefore the norm here to make blends, which is a far easier option than the painstaking process of separating harvests or even replanting entire vineyards.
Then there’s the fact that most drinkers simply aren’t as familiar with Portuguese grape varieties as they are with those of other countries. Sinéad Murdoch, sommelier at nomadic London restaurant Tasca, has worked four harvests in the country, and has consistently put its field blends on her lists over the years, so why does she think they’re so popular? “Customers are now used to seeing the words ‘field blend’,” she explains, “while Portuguese wine has boomed in the UK thanks to its great value and to tourism, but most people still aren’t familiar with the native grapes, which can put them off. If I list a wine as 100% baga, only a few curious guests are likely to ask about it, because most customers pick a red they know. When it’s a blend, however, people say they love a Portuguese blend and it flies off the shelves!”
They’re also brilliant value: “Modal Wines, for instance, sells a tinto blend bag-in-box to restaurants that works out to about £7 a bottle, which is a no-brainer for an easy-drinking and also delicious wine.”
Four Portuguese reds to pique your interest
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Portuguese Lisboa Red Wine £7.75, 13.5%. A spicy and full blend of syrah, touriga nacional and tinta roriz.
No 1 Douro Valley Reserva Quinta da Rosa Portugal £15 Waitrose, 13.5%. Produced exclusively for Waitrose, this is a medium-bodied, oak-aged red with dark bramble fruit.
Adega de Borba Convento da Vila 2022 £14.50 The Sourcing Table, 13.5%. Trincadeira, aragonez, castelao and touriga nacional go into this smooth blend.
Folias de Baco Uivo Vinhas Velhas £28 Modal Wines, 12%. A combination of 10 different grape varieties, aged in barrel for more three years.
