On my last trip to Portugal’s Dão region I did not have the opportunity to visit Quinta Pellada where this wine was produced. The Dão is not so far from the Douro region but its topography is far different. Forested in places, green and almost verdant. Gigantic glacial boulders may appear in fields and exotic mushrooms in the forest.
Alvaro Castro inherited Quinta da Pellada, his family’s estate in 1980 which he replanted. The Quinta has been producing wine since the 16th century. It is surrounded by pine trees on a 500-meter-high hill overlooking Serra da Estrela Portugal’s tallest mountain (2,000 meters).
The wine is a blend of Touriga Nacional (30%), Jaen (20%), Tinta Roriz (30%) and Alfrochiero (20%). Fermented in stainless steel vats and aged for 12-18 months in used 2–3-year-old French oak barrels.
Alvaro Castro and his daughter Maria are the winemakers.
Aroma: Black cherry, cassis, root beer and blueberry all dense and compact.
Palate: Guarded tannins. Firm but not distracting acidity. Well integrated oak. Blueberry tucked in nicely. A husky finish smooths out at a leisurely pace. Distinctly different from a Douro red.
Personality: In terms of Canadian familiarity with Portuguese wine I fall behind wines from the Douro and Alentejo but that is a matter of volume exported and certainly not quality.
Food Pairing: The winery suggests, “Simple fare, charcuteries and smoked meats, hard cheese as Parmesan or Manchego. Meats like veal, pork and roasted turkey.” As for meats it all depends on how the meat is prepared. I would suggest pork tenderloin broiled and topped with a blueberry jam and red wine reduction sauce.
Cellarbility: Drink no later than the end of 2026.
Price: $24. CDN.
RKS 2024 Wine Rating: 91/100. 94 Joshua Greene wineandspiritsmagazine.com
(DAC 2019 Red Wine Blend, Dão DOP, Olé & Obrigado, Portugal, 750 mL, 13%).
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