Spain v Portugal, with Siân Beusch DipWSET
This was a fabulous night with all the wines performing well.
The aim of the night was to declare the winning country after tasting 4 samples from each of Spain and Portugal.
1. Pil Pil Txakoli (Spain) v Portal da Calçada Vinho Verde (Portugal)
Txakoli is a wine particular to the Basque region made from the little known grape, Hondarrabi Zuri. It is known for its super refreshing style with acidity in spades. This Pil Pil gave subtle citrus characteristics on the nose but exploded on the palate with salty lemons, grapefruit and green apple flavours. The racy acidity makes this wine a perfect match with grilled fish, smoked salmon and lighter cheeses such as Edam and Gouda.
Vinho Verde has become very popular in recent years. Produced in the North-West corner of Portugal these wines are typically unoaked and bone dry. On the night the Portal da Calçada made with Loureiro and Alvarinho (Albariño in Spanish) gave us apple, peach and floral notes on the nose. On the palate ripe green apple, peach, pear and lemon pith pleasantly surprised us. Another dry wine with zippy acidity this would be a perfect match for seafood, grilled fish and summer salads.
Both wines were very popular amongst all tasters but the Vinho Verde just pipped it on the night. So that’s 1-0 to Portugal.
2. Casal Caeiro Albariño (Spain) v Castello d’Alba Branco Reserva (Portugal)
In this round we pitted a Spanish Albariño against a Douro blend from Portugal. The Casal Cairo Albariño was everything we would expect from a great Albariño that had aged on the lees - ripe peach and pear with notable citrus notes and plenty of mouthfeel. Again, the high acidity would make this a great match for seafood, fish, tapas and grilled vegetables.
The Portuguese wine is an interesting blend of grapes (50% Viosinho, 30% Rabigato and 20% Códega) from the Douro valley. The grapes were fermented with wild yeast and a proportion of the blend was fermented and aged in seasoned French oak barrels. There was a good mouthfeel from the stirring of the fine lees in barrel. The palate was rich and complex with a blend of lemon, lemon zest, peach and pear and even a touch of pineapple. There were definitely hints of toast in evidence from the 4 months oaking. This is a richer wine and would match well with pork stew and even lightly spiced curries.
Again, both wines were popular but the dryer Spanish Albariño won it on the night. So, that’s 1-1 all.
3. Los Halcones Bobal (Spain) v Prunus (Portugal)
Round 3 was always going to be an interesting round, pitting the rustic Spanish grape Bobal against a Portuguese red blend.
Bobal is a little-known grape outside Spain but it is growing in popularity as a single varietal red wine. Los Halcones is made 100% from Bobal - it is a concentrated wine with high acidity and flavours of black fruits after being aged in French oak barrels for 14 months. Would be a great match for stews and grilled meats.
Prunus, from the Dão region in Portugal, on the other hand is a blend containing predominately Jaen (known as Mencía in Spain). On the palate we could detect black plums and cherries, chocolate and toasty spices from maturing for 6 months in French and Portuguese oak, as well as a good level of acidity. It really opened up in the glass as the session progressed. This would go well with lighter meats such as pork, chicken and game.
The Los Halcones was always going to be an opinion-divider compared to the Portuguese red blend, but the vast majority of tasters really enjoyed it for its surprisingly intense black cherries and plums alongside grippy tannins, noting that this was a wine with a real difference compared to many of the ‘jammier’ styles on the market these days. Nevertheless, the Portuguese red blend won on the night and very well-deserved it was too. 2-1 to Portugal.
4. Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Reserva 2018 (Spain) v Mono C (Portugal)
This round contained the long-awaited Rioja of the evening. We pitted this against something completely different - a single varietal red wine from Portugal rather than a blend.
The Rioja was everything that Rioja-lovers look for - deep rich flavours of plums, preserved plums, blueberries, redcurrants, vanilla, spice and violet notes. The intense vanilla and spice flavours come from maturation of the predominantly Tempranillo blend for 21 months in American oak barriques, with at least a further 15 months in bottle. A perfect match for roasted game, truffled dishes and roast fish such as hake and turbot.
The Mono C wine was a riskier proposition, being the only single varietal Castelão wine being produced in the Douro. What made the wine less risky was that it was made by the acclaimed renowned wine innovator, Luis Seabra. The Castelão grapes were fermented in concrete and matured in a combination of concrete and Italian oak foudres. The nose delivered fresh red berry fruits with an earthy spice and this continued onto the palate, evolving with time in the glass to a violet note. The room agreed that the wine would definitely continue to develop in the bottle meaning this is a wine to age as well as to drink now. As this is a fresh red it would match well with charcuterie, pork and chicken.
The room praised Mono C for its surprising freshness with oodles of potential but the grandness of the Rioja won over. So 2-2 all.
The result: a draw!!!!
Thursday 19th September
Arrival at 6:15pm, for 6:30pm start
After a summer break we are very excited to bring you the next in our series of wine tasting events. We will present four generous samples of wines from Spain (two white, two red) and pit them against four from Portugal (two white, two red).
You will probably have heard of Vinho Verde and Rioja, but how about Bobal, Viosinho and Rabigato? We will learn all about these grapes and more on the night.
At the end of the event you get to decide which country won it for you on the night.
As always, be prepared to elevate your wine expertise whilst having a fun-filled evening
Tickets are £30 and are available from the shop only
Cheese and charcuterie boards will be available to purchase on the night