Anyone who knows Portuguese wine will be familiar with the name Quinta da Pacheca. This family-owned winery in the Douro Valley has been producing wine under the label for over 100 years and it is something of a household name in Portugal.
Last weekend at Apolónia there was a tasting taking place of this entry level white and red, along with a couple of the mid-range labels.
Having been familiar with these wines for many years, I would not have usually considered them for this column as I am normally on the lookout for something new or, in some way, unusual to share with our readers.
But this means that I am guilty of often missing the excellent work being done by many of Portugal’s long-established producers.
It was the white that really stopped me in my tracks. Priced at €5.99, it is a blend of typical white Douro grapes including a touch of Muscat (Moscatel Galego Branco) lending a subtle floral note to the nose, married with grassy and fruity aromas from the other varieties.
In the mouth, it is dry and fruity with a good clean finish. If I owned a restaurant, I would definitely consider this for my house white.
And the red, also priced at €5.99, could well be my house red. This is a very well-made and extremely versatile wine, produced from a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa and Tinta Barroca, trodden by foot, fermented in traditional stone tanks and aged for three months in French oak barrels.
This is a lot of winemaking for an entry level label and it shows. There are rich black fruit notes on the nose with a touch of spice and in the mouth it is medium-to-full bodied with soft, well-rounded tannins. This easy-drinking profile, without the obvious presence of oak, makes for an excellent summer red, ideal for chilling down to enjoy with grilled meats out on the terrace.
By PATRICK STUART patrick.stuart@open-media.net
