Turning Portuguese I really think so!

Things have been really hectic

with the Art Design & A Taste of Summer Show, a trip to Reims to visit G.H Mumm, The 50 Great Portuguese Wines selected by Tom Cannavan and organising the Taste Wine Awards tasting for Taste of London. As some of you know I am a keen supporter of Vini Portugal and the wines from Portugal. The sales are quite rightly increasing and here are some of my recent choices from presentations and tastings:
Solar dos Lobos Reserva 2007, £11.99. Stockist: Ince Wines.
Susanna Esteban, the winemaker at Solar dos Lobos, really delivers a good concentration of silky fruit flavours, subtle tannins, roundness and nice weight with the reds from this winery. This is no exception.
Pena de Pato Dao 2008, £7.49, Sogrape. Stockists: Waitrose and Majestic. From the famous Dao region, this is consistently one of my favourite reds from Portugal. Medium bodied, fresh, appealing dark fruit favours of blackcurrants and blackberries with gentle, soft tannins. An ideal food match with burgers and grilled meats at summer barbecues.
4 Quatro Castas Herdade do Esporão, 2008, £12.95. Stockist: Duncan Murray Wines. Winemaker David Baverstock has produced an excellent full bodied complex, oak-aged red made from Alicante Bouschet, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Alfrocheiro. Decant this wine 2-3 hours beforehand to enjoy the complexity of this high class red.