Portugal
APRIL 2025
The fun thing about Portuguese wine is that most Americans don't know much about it. The Portuguese language (of Latin origin with a big Celtic and Arabic influence) sounds unlike other Romance languages, and subsequently, their 250 indigenous grapes are for the most part grapes you've never heard of and would be hard-pressed to pronounce.
Portugal has been growing grapes and making wines for two thousand years, but to its credit, the country resisted pulling out their local stock in the 1980's and moving to internationally known grapes. In the last 10-15 years, this decision has started to pay off. Portugal is considered the last European wine frontier (in western Europe at least), and that is making for a lot of curiosity and interest as travel to Portugal increases.
This month's club features a white from Alentejo in southcentral Portugal and a red from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal. The wines are terrific. Enjoy!
Alentejano & João Ramos
João Ramos studied oenology in Lisbon in the late 1970's and started his company in the 1980's with vineyards around the hilltop town of Estremaz, about 2 hours due east of Lisbon in Alentejano. He also made a name around Portugal as a talented wine consultant. Today, his estate is 1250 acres of vineyards in the schist and limestone-clay soils of the area which enjoys a continental climate – hot in the summer, cold in winter. To this original estate, he has added vineyards in the Douro Valley, Beiras and Vinho Verde, growing his company into one of the largest producers in Portugal.
João Ramos 2023 Vila Santa Vinho Branco
Alentejano, Portugal • Reg $14.99 | Mixed Case $11.99
50/50 blend of Rabo de Ovelha & Roupeiro. Clay, wild grass, green apples on the nose. Taste is totally different: citrus, lime, a little grapefruit. Minerals on the finish. Perfect wine with white fish, oysters, salads, shrimp, rotisserie chicken. The Wines of Portugal website suggests: Clams Bulhão Pato, a local dish with clams cooked with olive oil, garlic, cilantro & white wine (pictured below). Drink now to 1 year.
Douro Valley
Located in northcentral Portugal, the Marquis of Pombal created the Região Demarcada do Douro (the demarcated wine region of Douro) to support the production and export of port wine. It was one of the first defined wine regions in the world, and certainly the first in Portugal.
The Douro Valley is known for its impressive physical beauty with steep terraced vineyards along the Douro River. The area has a long tradition of co-ops as Salazar (Portuguese dictator from 1932 to 1968) favored them over family estates. Laws changed the 1980's when Portugal joined the EU, and winemakers were able to produce and bottle wines at their own estates. "[But] over twenty five thousand farmers still take care and manage the 45,000 hectares of planted vineyards." –cooperative notes.
Veedha 2020 Douro Red Wine
Douro Valley, Portugal • Reg $17.99 | Mixed Case $14.39
Blend of Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca & Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo). Aged 9 months in French & Hungarian oak barrels. Nose of schist soil (reminiscent of S. Rhône garrigue) with black and red fruit. Fuller-bodied with more fruit on the palate: blackberries, dark plums, blueberries on the finish. Spicy. Vibrant. Good acidity through the finish. Fine tannins at the very end. Terrific wine for the price! Enjoy with so many foods: roasted meats, burgers, pulled pork tacos, grilled salmon & more. Drink now to 2 years.
Porto, Portugal • Photo credit: Annelie Strecker at Meer·weh>
A Note from Jens:
I travelled many times through Portugal as a younger person. My memories are fond, and I love Portuguese wines! These are perfect spring wines. Hope you enjoy them.
Your wine club pick-up tasting is always the 2nd Saturday of the month. Hope you can make it. The wines are great & you'll be able to taste the FLAGSHIP club wines as well – 2 cru reds (Vacqueyras & Rasteau) & 1 white (Viognier) from France’s Southern Rhône.
Cheers,
Jens Strecker, Owner
Portalis Wine Shop
If you are here because you’re curious about our wine clubs: Here’s more general info & online signup> You can also peruse the last 12 months of both clubs to get a feel for the themes we pick and the wines we showcase: Portalis EXPLORES (our everyday wine club) & Portalis FLAGSHIP (our signature club).