Portugal’s Alentejo Wine Region

As with many areas of Southern Europe, wine has been made in the Alentejo (ah-len-TAY-zhoo) region of Portugal for centuries. In terms of size, the Alentejo region in southern Portugal is about the same size as the state of Massachusetts. At 56,500 acres, its vineyard plantings are slightly more than Napa’s 45,000 acres and about the same as at plantings of Washington State.

This region is a real up-and-comer in today’s global wine world. Here are just a few facts about the exciting Alentejo wine region:

• Alentejo is blessed with an astonishing array of native grapes. With over 250 indigenous grape varieties, Portugal has the highest density of native grapes per square mile of any country in the world, including Italy.

• Alentejo red wines are the darlings of Lisbon cafés and restaurants. Alentejo wines are the preferred option of the Portuguese at large when it comes to what they choose to drink. Their red wine grapes include Alfrocheiro (full of blackberry and wild strawberry notes), Alicante Bouschet (possibly Alentejo’s flagship red) and Castelão (juicy red currants).

• Alentejo’s emerging category of wines includes several aromatic whites. A surprising one-fifth of Alentejo wine production is from white grapes. These include Antão Vaz which is the full-bodied white star, Arinto that offers lemon-lime freshness and Alvarinho with citrus, peach and minerals.

• Sustainably made wines. While Alentejo’s dry, sunny climate naturally reduces the need for rot-and mildew-fighting pesticides, embracing sustainable, organic or biodynamic farming is a necessity. With just about 23 inches of rain per year, the Alentejo region is one of the world’s most threatened wine regions from global warming. Creating nature protection areas, encouraging mixed plant and animal life, conserving scarce water resources and limiting chemical run-off into streams and rivers are all tools being used.

• Blending old with new: ancient and modern winemaking practices. The first Portuguese wines exported to Rome may have come from this region. The Alentejo region is the only area in Portugal were some winemakers still practice the Roman technique of fermenting and storing wine in clay pots. These talhas de barro or amphorae, hold up to 520 gallons of wine and can be as large as seven-feet in height, and weigh a ton (literally!)

• Alentejo is Cork Country! Alentejo is home to about one-third of the world’s cork tree forests.

As relative newcomers to the global wine market, Alentejo wine producers have embraced opportunities to learn from their peers in other emerging regions. So, discover for yourself the exciting array of intriguing and original well-crafted wines across the price spectrum. And, look for some delicious and refreshing white wines to be featured in the next two Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week features. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Ritual Sauvignon Blanc

2019 Ritual Sauvignon Blanc ($20.99)

This organic Sauvignon Blanc is from the Casablanca Valley in Chile. This cool climate area is located on the northwestern side of Chile’s coastal range that is less than 30 km from the Pacific Ocean.

This wine is produced from 100% Sauvignon blanc grapes that are whole-cluster pressed and allowed to sit for 36 hours. It is then divided and fermented in 30% concrete eggs, 30% neutral oak and 40% stainless steel. By doing this, the winemaker is able to create different components each with varying aromatics, flavor and textures. The wine is then aged for eight to ten months with the lees being stirred every other week, based on the fruit days of the bio-dynamic calendar.

This 2019 Ritual Sauvignon Blanc is medium gold in color and has aromas of citrus, tropical fruit and melon. On the palate it has bright fruit flavors of grapefruit and lemon, nice acidity and a smooth mouth-feel due to being aged on lees. The finish is long and refreshing.

This wine from Ritual is not your typical Sauvignon Blanc. The concrete and oak fermentation, along with the time on lees, definitely adds some wonderful texture and smoothness to this wine. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by González Byass (via Donna White Communications)

Pouring that Last Glass of Wine from a Bottle? Be Careful!

In the making of red wines, bits of grape seeds and grape solids are often intentionally left in the wine during fermentation and aging. Sediment will also naturally develop in undisturbed bottles of red wine that have been aged in a cellar or wine refrigerator. But, finding that sediment in your glass of wine can be quite unpleasant. And, the most likely place to find this sediment is in the final glass of wine poured from a bottle. This is when all those bits, that have been settled on the side or bottom of the bottle, find their way into your glass.

So, instead of savoring that last sip of your wine, you end up spitting it out. An unpleasant way to finish.  And that has happened to me more than once. But it doesn't have to happen.

There are several ways to avoid getting a mouth full of grape bits in your glass of wine.

The first way is to try to keep the solids in the bottle and not let them in to your glass. If the bottle has been standing still and upright for a couple of days, the solids will have naturally fallen to the bottom of the bottle. As long as you are careful to not stir them up while opening the bottle and are gently tipping the bottle while pouring, the sediment should stay in the bottom of the bottle. But why take the risk.

The most dependable way is to do your own filtering before serving. There are several inexpensive devices on the market for doing this. The best one is a combination filter/aerator funnel. You simply hold this funnel above your decanter (or any other suitable container) and pour the wine through.  It has a micro-fine filter built-in that traps all those undesirable particles while allowing all the wine to pass through. As the wine exits the funnel, it also gets aerated (exposed to air) which will usually help a young red wine. You'll then find all those undesirable particles trapped in the bottom of the funnel.  Not lurking in your wine glass.

While sediment is not harmful if consumed, it does significantly detract from a nice glass of wine.  So, be careful - simply filter and forget! Cheers

Behind the Cork™ - White Wines from Spain

2021 Pazo de Lusco Albariño ($24.99)

This Albariño is from Adega Pazos de Lusco, one of the most renowned wineries of the Rías Baixas wine growing region along the northwestern coast of Spain. The winery boasts a historic 16th century complex that was in used until 2009 featuring a chapel, barn and stables typical of rural life in the Galician history. The winery is now located in new modern facilities that are just steps away from its origin.

This wine is produced from 100% Albariño grapes with native yeasts and aged on lees.

The Pazo del Lusco Albariño is pale gold in color with aromas of lemon, grapefruit and honeydew melon. On the palate it shows bright fruit flavors, some peach, refreshing acidity and finishes with just a hint of saline.

2020 La Miranda Secastilla Garnacha Blanca (14.99)

This La Miranda Garnacha Blanc is from the Secastilla Valley in Spain. The vineyards are located in the north-eastern corner of Spain and have a “Mediterranean microclimate” suitable for growing olives, grape vines and almond trees. The vineyards are set on stony slopes 2300 feet above sea level. There, La Miranda has recovered very old vineyards of Garnacha Tinta and Garnacha Blanca, the traditional varieties of the Secastilla Valley.

This wine is produced from 100% Granacha Blanca (a white grape that is a relative of the red Grenache Noir grape). After fermentation, it was transferred to oak barrels where it remained for four months with frequent batonnage.

The La Miranda Garnacha Blanca is pale gold in color with delicate fruit aromas, along with some earthiness and straw. This one is softer on the palate, with flavors of green apple and herbs, a bit of pepper and good acidity.

Both of these Spanish white wines are from the Gonzalez Byass family of wines and great fits as Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week. Cheers!

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Samples Imported and Provided by Gonzalez Byass (via Donna White Communications)

Not All Rosé Wine is Sweet

I’ve heard it over and over - “I don’t drink rosé…it’s too sweet.” But, that’s not always the case.

Unfortunately, rosé wine’s reputations got ruined in the 1970s with wines such as Mateus, Lancers and especially White Zinfandel. Those are the stereotype rosé wines. And, yes, they were more like strawberry soda pop (hence its popularity). Not that there is anything wrong with strawberry soda or that style of white Zinfandel, it’s just that not all rosé wines are sweet. In fact, most bottles of rosé wine being sold today are not actually sweet.

While our brain naturally associates fruit aromas and flavors with sweetness, they are often not directly associated with each other when it comes to wine. Many rosé wines have aromas and flavors of tropical fruits (pineapple, mango) and red fruits (strawberries, cherries, cranberries, raspberries). These wine flavors and aromas may be processed and interpreted by your brain as being “sweet.” But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is sweet.

For a wine to be sweet, it must have sugar in it. In the wine world, it’s referred to as residual sugars (RS). That is, natural sugar from the grape’s juice that is not converted to alcohol during fermentation. But, most wines on the store shelf are “Dry” meaning they have a very small amount of residual sugar (1-10 g/L RS).

Today you can find a lot of very nice dry rosés being produced around the world. So try a dry rosé. They are actually not sweet. Cheers!