My heart in Portugal for wine rests in the Douro Valley. I have been there numerous times and met many winemakers but it is getting tugs toward the Dão, Alentejano and Lisboa because of some very exciting wines that keep their Portuguese identity using Portuguese grapes but add Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Alicante Bouschet toContinue reading “RKS Wines: Portuguese Wines from Lisboa”
Tag Archives: Wines Of Portugal
RKS Wines: To Canadians (and the world) There is More Than Icewine!
To many Canadians the ultimate “dessert wine” might be Icewine from Niagara. It is awfully good but correspondingly expensive. There are alternatives at a more friendly price point that are not “copies” of Icewine but similar on the “sweet scale” and cheaper. For example, there are the legendary sweet white wines from the Northern AegeanContinue reading “RKS Wines: To Canadians (and the world) There is More Than Icewine!”
RKS Wines: Sandeman Memories: 1999 Vau Vintage Port: The Cruelty of Vintage Port!
Was it November of 2013 after a tasting of Sandeman Ports deep in the Douro hills of Portugal we sipped Sandeman Splashes (tonic and White Port) on a terrace overlooking the Douro River below in the thin early afternoon sunshine munching on Portuguese roasted almonds? My goodness what a memory and what a wonderful lunchContinue reading “RKS Wines: Sandeman Memories: 1999 Vau Vintage Port: The Cruelty of Vintage Port!”
RKS Wines: Quadrus Red 2015 from the Douro
You have some of your usual suspects in the Douro grape department. 55% Touriga Nacional, 30% Tinta Roriz and 15% Sousão. The colour of the wine verges on purple which may be the result of the dark juiced Sousão. As for aromas there is an overall creaminess to the nose which is brimming with livelyContinue reading “RKS Wines: Quadrus Red 2015 from the Douro”
RKS Wine: Dão Delights
130 kilometres southwest of Porto you’ll find yourself in Dão’s capital Viseu which is a quaint city and very much lower key than Porto probably as it is a landlocked area and there are none of the culture killing cruise ships with their ruinous trail of destruction. The Dão landscape is in some parts likeContinue reading “RKS Wine: Dão Delights”
RKS Wines: Wines from the Outer Limits: Portugal’s Tejo
We get more wines from Hungary in the Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s Vintage releases than we do from the Tejo region which runs behind and parallel to the Lisboa wine region. One has arrived like a spaceship in Ontario and it’s a Quinta da Escusa. It is a white blend of the dry ArintoContinue reading “RKS Wines: Wines from the Outer Limits: Portugal’s Tejo”
RKS Wines: Some Portuguese Wines to Finish Off the Year: Part 1: Vinho do Bispado
After just about finishing off an intensive virtual tasting of Ports from the Douro it might be time to come back to earth and finish off the year with some Portuguese table wines. While there is no real competition to Port there is plenty of competition raging against Portuguese table wines. The Douro produces someContinue reading “RKS Wines: Some Portuguese Wines to Finish Off the Year: Part 1: Vinho do Bispado”
RKS Wines: Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny Port
Taylor’s has been a family company since 1692. Walk into any liquor store of repute in the world and you’ll see their Port. You don’t have that longevity without producing a good product. Remember that chilling it will bring down the alcohol and enhance its flavour. It matches extremely well with soft cheeses and egg-basedContinue reading “RKS Wines: Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny Port”
RKS Wine: Portugal’s Quinta da Rede: “The Douro Got Talent”
Can we expect yet another solid red wine from Portugal’s Douro Valley? Based on their track record with me over the years I am nodding my head up and down. We try a Quinta da Rede 2017 Reserva. The nose shouts out “full bodied”! Rich black cherry, blackberry, blueberry at times touched with a floralContinue reading “RKS Wine: Portugal’s Quinta da Rede: “The Douro Got Talent””
RKS Wines: Should Portugal’s Douro Be Looking Over Its Shoulder to the Surging Alentejano?
In terms of the volume of Portuguese wines coming into Canada the Douro, leads the pack. The Douro produces top quality wines but since the grapes used in their winemaking are largely indigenous one might say their excellence is predictable. On the other hand the region in second place, Alentejano, produces excellent wines as wellContinue reading “RKS Wines: Should Portugal’s Douro Be Looking Over Its Shoulder to the Surging Alentejano?”
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