Portugal's wine industry is fulfilling its potential at last. Fiona Sims explores its abundant regions, from the Duoro to the Alentejo
The most exciting wine country you know least about
Go on, then - try to remember the last time you opened a bottle of Portuguese wine, and I'm not talking Port. I bet it was Mateus Rosé or Lancers, the country's two biggest (pink) wine brands. Well, I've got news for you - Portugal's wine scene is dynamic, and if you don't list any yet, you soon will. For the first time, wine buffs are writing about Portuguese wines without using the expression "enormous potential". The wines are here and they're good - great, even.
Bit like the state of Portuguese roads, then - have you seen their smart new motorways?
And the EU grants are still flowing in, allowing wine producers to update old equipment and young wine-makers to learn new tricks. OK, so there are still some duff wines about, plus the odd producer who hasn't moved on, but mostly things are on a roll, with export figures to prove it. Portuguese table-wine exports to the UK have increased by 5% in value, says HM Customs, and sales through the on-trade increased by a whopping 31% in value and 28% in volume in 2006, according to AC Nielsen.
But is there much of interest for the pub drinker?
Absolutely. The wines being offered by
some of Portugal's more forward-thinking co-operatives will sit easily on a pub list - no problem. In fact, some of the most dramatic changes in the Portuguese wine industry over the last decade have taken place in the co-operatives. Look out for names such as Redondo, Ponte da Lima, Borba, Carmim and Vidigueira, plus brand potential from new outfits such as Enoforum, a
co-operative based in the Alentejo (seeking a UK importer when I last caught up with them.
You've already heard of the Alentejo?
I'm not surprised. Along with the Douro, it's
one of Portugal's largest wine regions and
has been pretty successful in building up its image outside the country, with drinkers attracted to its eager-to-please, bright, ripe fruity wines made from international and
indigenous grapes such as Trincadeira, Castelão and Aragonez. And many are already aware that the Douro makes some pretty
amazing table wine alongside its famous Port, where the Touriga Nacional grape does its
rich, herby, complex thing (though it helps
that the Douro, being a UNESCO World Heritage site, attracts tourists in its own right, further increasing its profile).
Are there other Portuguese regions to look at?
Lots - here are just three: south of the Douro is Dão, where granite rules. Some of Portugal's finest red wines come from granite soils, made from grape varieties such as Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Alfrocheiro and Encruzado. Then there's the Ribatejo, a vast agricultural area north-east of Lisbon, with sub-regions such as Almeirim, producing much of the region's top reds. And the Minho, which stretches from the north-west corner of Portugal to the outskirts of Porto, where Vinho Verde is made - those highly acidic, sometimes spritzy, crisp, lemony whites that partner the region's seafood perfectly. The Minho is also where they grow Alvarinho - known as Albariño just over the border in Spain. It's my favourite Portuguese white - perfumed and exotic.
Portuguese wine in a nutshell
l On-trade sales of Portuguese wines have increased 31% in value in 2006
l In 2006 Portugal sold 927,000 cases of wine to the UK
l The UK is Portugal's largest importer of its wines - if you include Port
l Portugal ranks 11th in the pecking order of countries with wines in the UK
l It only has 1% of the UK wine-market share
l There are 32 DOCs in Portugal
Try a tASTE OF PORTUGAL
Four wines from different Portuguese wine regions to try on your list
2005 Quinta da Aveleda, Vinho Verde
(£5.49, Portugalia Wines, 0208 965 8970)
"Fresh, crisp lemon and lime fruit with a dollop of honey on the finish"
2004 Casa de Mouraz Tinto, Dão
(£6.60, Raymond Reynolds 01663 742230)
"Well-balanced cherry fruit with soft (especially for Dão) tannins - organic, too"
2006 Segada, Fernão Pires, Estremadura
(£4.99, 10 International, 0137 245 4910)
"Zingy citrus fruits with refreshing bitter grapefruit on the finish"
2006 Esporão Reserve, Alentejo
(£4.80, John E Fells 01442 870900)
"Aromatic, herbaceous fruit with a rich mouth-feel, white pepper finish"
win £10,000 in Hardy's chef competition
Hardy's wine has teamed up with Matthew Clark and the Morning Advertiser to launch the Hardy's Chef of the Year competition.
If you have a dish that has received its share of rave reviews and you know a thing or two about wine, you and your pub could win £5,000 each. To enter, just fill in an entry form and submit an original recipe, paired with a Hardy's wine, plus a few words about why you think you should earn a place in the cook-off final in London.
Two Michelin-star chef Shane Osborn, pictured above, from top London restaurant Pied a Terre will be judging the competition and four lucky finalists will take part in a cook off in Shane's kitchen on 30 September 2007.
The competition is open to professional chefs over the age of 18 who are working in an on-trade establishment and the closing date is 31 August. Call 01293 610487 or visit www.winhardys.com/chef for an entry form and full terms and conditions.