I’m organizing a broad Portuguese wine tasting for a mixed-interest group - some enthusiasts, some hobbyists, some industry, some friends who just like a good drink. It’s a country I know embarrassingly little about in terms of its wines - hence the tasting!
Would love to hear recommendations of particularly representative - or just good - wines that I might be able to source in California for under $50/bottle (preferably significantly under!) It’ll likely be 10 wines, mix of whites and reds. Weird and wonderful is welcome, too!
Please refrain from any more expensive recommendations - this is a group-funded event and there is a lot of price sensitivity among the group.
Look for Filipa Pato. Also, Caves Sao Joao releases older bottles regularly (1990s Quinta do Poco do Lobo specifically) that used to be at or $50, but Im guessing those have gone up now.
Can’t speak to specific selections, but the good news is that the vast majority of Portuguese wines are very well priced for what they are, so hitting your dollar mark should be easy.
-For whites, definitely find some varietal Vinho Verde/Minho wines, lots of Alvarinho and Loureiro being made as regular table wines instead of fizzy. Douro/Dao whites can be bigger, richer and more internationally styled, feel like I see more barrel aged stuff from here. Bairrada is really up-and-coming, lots of coastal character here. Alentejo is a bit more hit and miss but there are some from the more interior mountain areas that can be quite good.
-For reds, should be plenty of Douro options nowadays; Dao wines can be pretty similar, but there are some producers that can be unique. Barraida is probably best known for the Baga grape, so do one of those if you have access to one. Alentejo has lots, and can also be some neat stuff from Lisboa and Setubal if you can find it. Also a litany of locally made sparkling, Pet-Nats and dessert wines everywhere.
-PIMP HAT ON-
Most of what we sell at our store are more value oriented brands that have local East Coast importation, so a lot of those names won’t help you. Joao Pato (Barraida, father of Filipa I believe), Susana Esteban (Alentejo), Luis Seabra (Douro) are some names that have a great spread of quality and price point. If you look up the importer Grossberg Kopman Selections for example, pretty much every producer in their book would fit the bill; if the individual wineries are on the West Coast they may well have different local distribution, but they are good names to start with.
Definitely seek out Alvarinho from Minho. It is so much better than Albariño.
Look for Palacio da Brejoeira or Quinta de Soalheiro, the latter of which has two or three bottlings imported. Palacio is ~$30 and Soalheiro is ~$20-$25. Even Nortico’s version is pretty good at $15.
Filipa Pato 3B is a good sparkler in that price range.
I’ve heard Dirk Niepoort is making some hipster still wines but have not tried any. They might be hard to find over here.
If they prefer bigger & bolder, then the Douro might be a good area to focus on. Not all there are in that mould (by any means), but it’s the place I’d go for richer and rounder.
Alternatively a broad exploration is wonderful with Portuguese wines, and the vast difference in climate makes it so. Baga from Luis (or daughter Filipa) Pato certainly a solid suggestion. Good Vinho Verde still comes in well under the $50 mark, with Soalheiro a favourite. Alentejo a vibrant area with solid value to be found. Dao can do fruitier wines, but for me it shines when a balance of fruit and savoury.
If you have any locally, sparkling Baga is cheap and tasty. Not deep or complex, but lovely nonetheless and prices seem low.
Finally easy to forget about (I did in the first draft of this post), but a decent LBV or crusted port can usually deliver a lot of flavour for the price.
He releases wines from all over Portugal, with plenty of true to type wines (and in Redoma a somewhat fancy wine whose price seems kept in check by even fancier labels attracting the big money). I did try his ‘Nat Cool’, which I believe is aimed as a quaffing ‘vin de soif’. I found it underwhelming, despite assuming it would appeal to me. If he still makes it, he had a giggle in making ‘Clos de Crappe’, supposedly made intentionally with minor faults (I’d assumed a bit of brett and VA). I considered sending it back because I couldn’t find any such faults!
The Azores Wine Company has fantastic whites. Fita Preta from the Alentejo. Antonio Macinita is behind both. If you can find Quinta da Pellada or Quinta da Saes, they are fantastic from the Dao. Both by Alvaro Castro, although his daughter Maria is running most things now. Alvaro has been acclaimed as one of the greatest Portuguese wine makers. Carlos Raposo wines from the Dao are great as well. He’s been expanding and I know he’s importing to the East Coast and maybe the West by now. He’s a former winemaker at Niepoort.
Luis Pato is Filipa’s father. Never had Joao, but Luis Pato makes excellent stuff! Filipa’s sparkling rose is a favorite of mine.
Niepoort makes lots of interesting table wines. I’ve only had one, the Velhas Quinta de Baixo, which comes in under $50 and is an excellent mineral driven white a bit like Chablis.
I recently posted about a very impressive 2002 Terras des Tavares from the Dao which was a dead ringer for aged Nebbiolo. Available online for under $50 and I think well worth it.
If you want esoteric, try to track down a Colares. I see wine searcher lists some white for $56 where I am. Not sure if you could get it a little cheaper in California. If so, you could pick some up and read about the region. Utterly fascinating.
I agree with above that Azores could be great. Some dry wines out of Madeira available through Rare Wine Co are interesting and within budget.
Finally, not sure if you’re interested in sweet wines, but it’s hard to imagine a comprehensive look at Portuguese wines without Port.
Quinta do Infantado makes an excellent 10 year old Tawny Port that’s very good value. Actually, all of their ports are good value. They also make a Douro Red that goes for under $20 if you’re lucky enough to find it.
For whites I’ve had some very good ones from Pormenor in the $20-25 range.
A bit higher priced but still under $50 are Dao reds from Antonio Madeira, also highly recommended.
Ben, you should reach out to Dustin Mowe, who is a member of this site. He travels to Portugal quite a bit and I bet he could give you some sterling recommendations at various price points.
Thank you for all of the recommendations so far. Looks like I should have a pretty easy time of getting a good sampling from Pato (Luis and Filipa), Anselmo Mendes, Luis Seabra, Soalheiro, Niepoort, and a couple others mentioned. Please keep 'em coming if you have any favorites!
