2016 Herdade do Rocim
Touriga Nacional
Alentejano, POR
Regular Price $22.99
Sale Price $17.99
A few things you should know about Portuguese wines…
- Portugal has been growing grapes and making wines since at least 2000 BC.
So, if this is your first encounter with wines from Portugal, its not because they were just discovered..
- While all wines called ‘Port’ are (or should be!) from Portugal, all wines from Portugal are not Port.
- Most people have never heard of most of the grapes from Portugal.
That’s okay. Don’t be afraid.
- Vinho Verde is from Portugal. It can be white. Or red. Or rose.
Wines from Portugal are like wines from other places; some are jammy and thick and high in alcohol, while others are good.
(Just kidding)
(No, I’m not)
Anyway, the way to enjoy wines from Portugal is to stop trying to put them into a box. The wines have no exact comparison to those wines that you’ve heard of so fuggedaboutit! Just enjoy them.
A case in point…this wine. Touriga Nacional is grown throughout Portugal, and is one of the typical grapes found in Port. That doesn’t mean that it’s a ‘sweet’ grape (unless we can agree that ALL grapes are sweet), it means that when making port, fermentation is stopped while there is still sugar present in the must. Voila! A sweet, high alcohol wine! (yes, port is wine, as is sherry, Champagne and Madeira).
This wine is not sweet (or, rather, it is less sweet than most Napa cabs) but neither is it offensively tannin nor overwhelmed by oak. It’s well balanced, meaning the fruit, earthy and herbal flavors are balanced by the acidity and tannins. Its full and refreshing, rather than ponderous and dull.