FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
 |
| BOOZE There once was a time, not so long ago, that a person could walk into a wine shop and get a decent bottle of wine for $5. If something red and robust was in order, then that $5 was well spent on something from Portugal, particularly that stalwart of Portuguese table wines, Periquita. Alas, $5 these days gets you something that might be suitable for poisoning squirrels or perhaps for soaking one's carbuncles in, but it won't get you much that is fit for human consumption. Back then, Periquita was not only a bargain, but it was among the best of the small selection of Portuguese wines available in the Alberta market. These days Periquita sells for closer to $10 and is still a relative bargain, but there is now a better selection of other Portuguese wines that have improved both in quality and availability in the past few years. Aside from port wine, Portugal was once best known for their fizzy sweet rosés, such as Mateus and Lancers, but it is now the full-bodied style reds that are garnishing most of the attention. Portugal is distinguished from other major wine producing countries in that, to a large degree, it remains a throwback to wine-making practices from days of yore. The Alto Douro region, for example, (where the world-renowned port wine is produced), was until very recently accessible by one of two means of transportation - mule or canoe. The few roads that exist now could best be described as precarious, and the fact that vines grow here at all is a testament to human determination. This steeply sloped region was once composed almost entirely of granite, and soil had to be carried in and then contained by small, hand-built stone walls. And you thought building a rock garden was hard. Further south, along the Atlantic coast just outside of Lisbon, is the region of Colares. Here, vines are actually grown right on the beach, protected from the sea by a maze of stone walls. Many of these ancient vines pre-date the invasion of the phylloxera louse that devastated most of Europe's vineyards in the last century. As it turns out, the root-sucking little vampires cannot survive in sand, thus sparing the vines the inevitable fate of being uprooted and burned. Another oddity occurs to the north in the regions of Dão and Miñho, best known for the cheap, quaffable white wine known as viñho verde. The vines here have been trained to grow up trellises and high into the trees, allowing the grapes to remain cool and providing an efficient use of space in this heavily populated area. Vinho verde, literally translated, means green wine, but actually refers to the style of white wine, which should be drunk young while it is very crisp, usually showing a good level of acidity and a small amount of spritz. The house of Jose Maria da Fonseca, which has a strong presence in the Alberta market, produces a classic style viñho verde under the name Albis that sells for around $9 and is a nice quaff on a hot afternoon. The same house also produces Periquita, which serves as both a brand name and a grape variety (also known as castelão frances), that is grown all over southern Portugal. They have recently introduced the 1992 Periquita Classico ($22) to the Alberta market. This is a hearty wine, with intense black currant and tobacco notes, that really requires several years of cellaring to soften the considerable tannins. I recently tasted Fonseca's Garrafeira TE 1992 ($22), which was served in a blind tasting alongside some other very impressive wines. While the group that was present during this tasting had some difficulty determining the origin of this wine, everyone was impressed with its overall quality and huge array of flavors. At $22, it is in the upper echelon of Portuguese wines, but it is worth every penny. The term Garrafeira, incidentally, applies to reserve wines from an exceptional vintage that have been aged for at least two years before bottling and an additional one year in bottle before hitting the market. Portugal's grape varieties remain largely indigenous. Many of the reds rely heavily on touriga national and tinto roriz (known as tempranillo in Spain) or alvarhiño for some of the whites, but there is a wealth of other varietals used that are simply too numerous to mention. In the Douro valley, the firm of Adriano Ramos Pinto produces a full-bodied red under the name of Duas Quintas ($12) that is made from the same grape varieties that are used in vintage port, the result of which is another classically styled red wine, full of character and reasonably priced. Another option would be Alabastro ($12), a co-operative produced wine (very common in Portugal) from the Alentejo region that is a tasty blend of periquita, trincadeira and cabernet sauvignon. So if full-bodied, rustic style red wines are the order of the day, then look no further than Portugal. Cheers! NEW ARRIVALS Pisco diaguitas! Pisco is a unique grape distillate produced in northern Chile that is the base for a cocktail known as a Pisco Sour. This drink was recently declared the world's best cocktail by a trendy British magazine, but has just begun its foray into the Canadian market. It is currently only available at two specialty wine shops and sells for $27 a bottle. If you're curious to see what all the fuss is about, head down to Ming (520 - 17 Avenue SW) on Thursday, June 25. The first one's on the house, after that you're on your own. The fun starts at 8 p.m. and goes until the two bottles I'm providing (courtesy of the agent that reps this product) run out. Hope to see you there! |
| |