Hi! I’ll be at this restaurant in Portugal in a few days, and really don’t know these wines at all. Any advice? Thinking probably red (non-fortified), as I imagine we’ll eat meat, but open to any ideas. I’ve been curious about the Quinta de S. José wines, so left to my own inclinations, I’d probably grab one of those at 40-50 euros. Thx!
Safe as houses - Niepoort Redoma in the douro reds
I’d probably try - **Soalheiro Oppaco 2013 - 32,00 €, as I’ve not tasted this, but love Soalheiro’s whites. I’d assume fresh acidity and a good food wine. Or if I was pushing the boat out, trying this (or a cheaper one by Niepoort) to get my Baga fix **António Guerreiro Grande Escolha 1998 - 85,00 €
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It depends on your taste, really. The Douro list is the most complete, but these are generally more full bodied wines. I would love to taste 2013 Poeira; it’s a very ballsy wine in what is probably a fresher, earlier drinking vintage. The Lote 5 wines are made by good friends of mine (producer Paula Filipe Castro and oenologist Jorge Alves). Quinta do Pôpa makes very nice wines. Really, the choices are very broad. If you’re militantly AFWE then go with Ian’s post, to which I would add Poeirinho (a Burgundy lover’s Bairrada). Soalheiro Oppaco is a generically fresh, low extraction food wine, nothing to write home about compared to their best whites.
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Hear, hear. I have 6 vintages of the Vinhas Velhas and i haven’t seen a bad vintage yet. I’m probably a couple of years away from dipping in my 2015 but with a good decant, why not.
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I too might go for the 2013 Poeira. Others I would have interest in include the Monte Xisto Orbita from the Douro, Taboradella Jaen, Ribero Santo Vinha de Neve, and the Poeirinho.
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Awesome. Great ideas. The “What wine should I order?” feature on this website may be its greatest attribute! 
Thanks so much to you all. I may drop one more list on you before the week is up.
And I’m not militantly anything–I’m excited to taste as widely as possible in a category (Portuguese wines) in which I am a total rube/noob.
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I find this the perfect situation to rely on the sommelier! Portuguese wine is still new to me and not terribly accessible at home. Also, I believe the Portuguese keep the best stuff! I went to Il Gallo D’oro in Funchal last year and the sommelier recommended some stellar wines.
Another vote for Alvarinho. It is a very nice white and nothing like the mass-produced Albariño.
I have also read that the best stuff is hardly exported, so relying on the somm would be good.
That’s an enormous list Dave: I’d be inclined to plump for one of the Maçanita wines, having bought one recently in Lisbon. Very handily priced as well.
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This is often true. Quantities are limited and producers might prefer to sell these wines at home rather than go through the trouble and expense of placing them in distant markets. It doesn’t help that these can be hard sells when they do reach those markets, regardless of the quality.