Latest news with #TourigaNacional
The Irish Sun
01-08-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
The must-try €8.99 easy drinking Aldi wine with cherry aromas & the 2 intense Portuguese reds from lesser-known regions
AN INCREASINGLY common site these days, amongst the rows of stainless-steel fermenters and storage tanks in wineries, are concrete eggs. While the emergence of these odd-shaped concrete receptacles might seem like a modern innovation, they have actually been around for a long, long time. 6 Wine can move more freely than it would in a traditional barrel or tank during fermentation Archaeologists in Georgia found the ancient remains of large, earthen vessels containing the remnants of wine inside. Radiocarbon dating and chemical analysis of the residue confirmed these findings. After further tests boffins at the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, in These egg-shaped vessels, called qvevri, are still in use in The eggs are made from sand, gravel, spring water and cement. READ MORE IN WINE The unlined concrete is then treated with tartaric acid to prevent corrosion or any reactions with the wine during fermentation and ageing. But why this egg shape? Science suggests that as all fermentation creates heat, and that in turn creates convection currents that encourage the fermenting wine to move around, which is most effective in an egg. Without corners, it provides a smooth, continuous surface, thus allowing the wine to move more freely than it would in a traditional barrel or tank during fermentation. This process allows complex flavours to develop through continuous contact with the lees (spent yeast cells) after it has finished its job of turning the grape juice into alcohol. MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN The concrete walls of the egg provide excellent insulation, keeping the wine's temperature stable, thus cutting out the need for any artificial cooling systems. The unlined eggs also allow a tiny amount of oxygen to meet the wine, softening tannins, and developing more complex flavours. Wines aged in the inert and airless environment of stainless-steel take much longer to achieve similar levels of aging. So, what about the But wines made in this way tend to be more expensive because, for now, the eggs are small, thus producing small batches of wine from better vineyard plots. Expert reveals the top everyday food pairings for bargain supermarket wine Talk to your friendly, local off-licence proprietor for a recommendation. FIVE wines reviewed this week, with two excellent, beefy reds from I have also re-visited two Herdade da Mingorra Reserva 2021 (ABV 14.5%) 6 Currently €17.99 on promo @ Molloys Liqour Stores Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Syrah & Alicante Bouschet FROM the family owned Mingorra estate in Portugal's Alentejo region, comes this deep ruby, almost purple palate pleaser. With intense aromas of ripe red and black fruit and dark chocolate, the palate is full-bodied and quite complex, with dark fruit flavours to the fore, good acidity and integrated tannins, with a nice persistent finish. Let wine breathe for 30 minutes for pouring. Enjoy with: Grilled, bone-in pork chop Irish Sun Star rating: *** Herdade da Mingorra Touriga Nacional 2021 (ABV 14.5%) 6 Currently €16.99 on promo @ Molloys Liqour Stores Grape: Touriga Nacional THE backbone of all the great Ports from the Douro, but here a super tantalising, single varietal Touriga. An intense and powerful red wine with a deep garnet colour when poured, with jammy red fruit, blackberry and blueberry aromas. The palate is rich and juicy delivering spicy, black-fruit flavours. Very noticeable firm tannin kick, balanced acidity, and persistent but enjoyable finish. Let wine breathe for 30 minutes for pouring. Enjoy with: Super with roast beef. Irish Sun Star rating: **** Specially Selected Caladoc Rouge 2024 (ABV 14%) 6 €11.99 @ Aldi outlets Grape: Caladoc ONE of the joys of my life is tasting, and then writing about a new wine grape varietal. In this case its Caladoc, a cross between Grenache and Malbec, created in 1958 in Here it produces a deep red wine, with complexity, and a little rusticity. The fruit, grown in the Languedoc, delivers blackcurrant and plum flavours, along with wild herb notes. The palate is juicy and fruit forward with grainy tannins. Nice length and a satisfying finish. Enjoy with: A feast of hard cheese and crusty bread. Irish Sun Star rating: **** Classic Martinolles Gris de Gris 2024 (ABV 12.5%) 6 Currently €11.99 on promo @ Molloys Liqour Stores Grape: Grenache Gris NOW here is something of a rarity, a pinkish-grey mutation of the Grenache grape, with limited plantings in the Languedoc and Roussillon, southern France. A pale salmon pink colour, with a lovely floral bouquet of roses, peach and cherries on the nose. Nice dry, mid-weight, fresh palate, nice acidity, with wisps of raspberry and stone fruit. Refreshing, lingering length. Enjoy with: Smoked haddock or salmon. Irish Sun Star rating: *** THIS WEEK'S MUST TRY BARGAIN BOTTLE UNDER A TENNER OUR promise is to bring Irish Sun wine lovers a taste-tested wine each weekend for under a tenner. The cost of glass, packaging, labelling and transport have sky-rocketed in recent years. So, finding excellent value tipples is getting harder - but we have sourced some great wines and will bring you a super sipper recommendation every weekend. Macedonian Primitivo Kratosija 2023 (ABV 13.5%) 6 €8.99 @ Aldi Outlets Grapes: Kratosija & Primitivo NORTH A blend of the Balkan grape Kratosija and Italy's Primitivo – with very many similarities – has aromas of ripe redcurrants and cherries. The palate is rich and soft, with plum and blackcurrant notes and supple tannins. Deliciously satisfying finish. Enjoy with: Pasta. Irish Sun Star rating: ***
Forbes
11-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Portuguese Wines Are Competing With Spanish And Italian Bottlings By Giving Quality At A Low Price
The aging room at the modern Taboadella winery in the Dão Valley. Before Portugal's entry into the EU in 1986, its wine industry had been lagging, not so much for Port but for table wines. As Larousse Wine points out, 'an extraordinary energy has been driving many of its producers – from large historic houses, which have always played a leading role–– to cooperatives, often fully modernized, to private domains (quintas), which have multiplied since the 1990s.' Spurred by the progress and global recognition of Spanish wines, the producers of Portugal, particularly those of Alentejo, adapted the most modern technology and began replanting old vineyards tethered to traditions that had become dated. American consumers have long enjoyed the lightly sparkling Vinho Verdes and some of the Dãos, but there are now excellent examples of wines from the Touriga Nacional (which originated from Dão) to Tinta Roriz and Castelăo red grapes to the Alvarinho and Loueiro white. At this point things may be a bit confusing for the consumer owing to the wide variety of styles these grapes are made in. The Portuguese themselves drink up most of their wines––58 liters per person or 600 million liters total, the highest amount in the world, though, as elsewhere in Europe, consumption is declining. The U.S. is, after France, Portugal's second largest export market at more than $100 million (including Port). Part of the appeal is that Portuguese wines are remarkably cheap compared to Spanish, French and Italian bottlings, and there has been talk that over-production may hurt the industry in the future. But for now Portugal is very happy both in sales and in the recognition that, finally, their table wines are among the best Europe has to offer. Here are some I enjoy right now. Encruzado is a white grape that gets its minerality from granite-rich terroir. TABOADELLA RESERVA ENCRUZADO ($35). Encruzado (also called Salgueririnho) is a white grape from the Dão grown in granite soil known for as a blending grape and for its ability to age well. Taboadella's owner, Luisa Amorim, whose family is known for its wine corks since 1870, has since 1999 become one of the few vintners to focus on the varietal, which has a refreshing acidity, and the 2023 vintage resulted in well-ripened grapes. It is delightful with exemplar of fine red wine from the Dão Valley. QUINTA NOVA DOURO RESERVA 2023 ($36.25). Another wine made by Luisa Amorim, this is a blend of Touriga Franca (35%), Touriga Nacional (35%), Tinta Roriz(15%) and Tinto Cão (15%) grown in the Cima Corgo area. Hand harvested, the grapes undergo fermentation and then age 77% in French oak barrels for 9 months and 23% in cement tanks. The estate was owned by the Portuguese royal family until 1725. It is a big bold wine but just 14% alcohol and ideal with barbecued meats, reflecting Dão Valley traditions with modern tech to make a more refined example. Grown in a chestnut grove this white wine is aged only in stainless steel. QUINTA DA FONTE SOUTO FLORíO 2024 ($23) and RED ($23) are products of the Symington Family Estates from the Alto Alentejo region's Souto terroir (souto means 'chestnut grove'). This is their first estate outside of the Douro. The white is a blend of Arinto and Verdelho blend aged in stainless steel and it is bright, clean and tangy on the palate. The red is a complex blend of Alfrocheiro, Aragonez, Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional and other Portuguese varieties, aged for six months in seasoned French oak, and all those varietals mesh into a lovely, medium-bodied red wine with a little oak resonance, so it goes well with lamb and pork. It's also a terrific cold, dry mountain weather makes the grapes struggle to obtain ripeness with the wines of ... More Ataide. QUINTA DO ALTAÍDE DOURO RED 2017 ($26). This is one of Symington Estates wines from property in the Douro Superior, Ataíde in the Vilariça Valley that are uncharacteristically steeply terraced slopes that enjoy very cold winters and low rainfall, so the grapes have to struggle, especially in 2017. The grapes are not pumped but only crushed, then go through a maceration of pumping over. Winemakers Charles Symington and Pedro Correia blended organically farmed Quinta do Ataíde, Vilariça Valley, 49% Touriga Franca, 48% Touriga Nacional and 3% Alicante Bouschet. There are some vegetal notes but a good deal of ripe fruit and, by now, subdued tannins, bottled in 2019. It is 14.5% alcohol.
