Gold Medal Wine Club International Series - Portugal
Written By: Anonymous on Fri, Jan 23rd 2009
This month’s International Series features an extremely intriguing country in the world of wine – Portugal. Portugal is renowned for its ports, but more and more wine lovers are paying attention to its reds and whites. Today we are tasting some of those under-the-radar bottles.
How can this article help you? During our tasting, we utilize a wide range of wine drinkers and ask them each to sample the bottles honestly and create their own notes. By gathering both a beginner and expert perspective, you can learn and compare with us no matter what your personal level of experience. Enjoy!
International Series Intro
“The International Series takes you on a journey around the world, and introduces you to premium wines that can’t be found anywhere else in the United States! Each quarterly shipment features a different country with three specially selected wines and our gourmet Adventure Package.” – GMWC Website
The International Series is one of our favorites at ClassicWines.com. What could be more exciting than learning about the wine and culture of a different country?
2006 Quinta do Vallado Douro “The Quinta do Vallado 2006 Douro Red was produced from Portugal’s Douro region, the world’s oldest appellation and considered Portugal’s premium wine region.” – GMWC packet
Beginner Perspective:
The Vallado is an interesting mix of grapes, including the Tinto Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, and Touriga Nacionale Sousao.
Not being very familiar with any of those grape varieties, I was coming into this wine very much a beginner. The color was ruby red and the nose presented a musty, forest floor essence. Living in a wooded region, this smell jumped out to me right away and spoke a bit about the region this wine was produced in. Behind the must was a sense of jamminess that was very pleasant.
The taste hinted of candy apples, but was accented by a spike of alcohol. For me the alcohol struck sharply, but most of the other tasters found in refreshing.
Expert Perspective:
The Vallado Douro brought an interesting nose, full of rich ripe cherry and hints of bakers chocolate. When I dug into the nose even deeper I detected creamy black berry and spice. Rounding out the different fruit characteristics was an essence of slight forest floor.
The palate spoke of cherry pie and berry fruit, as the nose suggested. Pepper and cinnamon spice came through and matched up well with an elegant oak finish.
85/100
2007 Monte da Peceguina Tinto (Red)“A deeply concentrated red wine, Malhadinha Nova’s 2007 Monte Da Peceguina was produced from the Alentejo region of Portugal.” – GMWC packet.
Beginner Perspective:
This Monte da Peceguina was a red blend that brought many different grape varieties to the table. The color was a dark red (almost purple) and suggested deep flavors (I wasn’t expecting a light Pinot Noir on this one). The nose was a combination of barnyard and strawberry, which mixed together in a very pleasant way.
The taste continued with the barnyard characteristic, but not overwhelmingly so. It was subtle and smooth and a nice change of pace from fruit forward wines.
Expert Perspective:
Barnyard Earth mixed with a subtle berry cherry. The nose of this wine kicks off with a very pleasant mix of vegetal and fruit aspects. Further, it contains the normal “funk” that one comes to expect out of the Alentejano region.
The palate contained very soft red berry fruit which spoke must strongly of strawberry and cherry, along with plenty of spice. The oak was very well balanced and did not detract from the pleasant fruit flavors.
88/100
2007 Monte da Peceguina Branco (White)“A powerful, expressive white blend, the Malhadinha Nova 2007 Monte da Peceguina is a lively, fresh wine of Portugal’s Alentejo region, which is known for producing white wines with intense, fruity, original aromas.” – GMWC packet.
Beginner Perspective:
The Monte da Peceguina Branco was a pale yellow in color, almost golden. The nose spoke of melon and honeydew – what I consider to be a very traditional white wine nose (Something you encounter often).
The taste also spoke of traditional white wine flavors that you would encounter in Chardonnays or Pinot Gris. Very pleasant and well balanced – something you could serve at the dinner table.
Expert Perspective:
This nose of this wine struck me with honey suckle and melon. There as also a bit of depth as a detected slight notes of lemon zest.
The palate spoke even stronger of lemon rind, allowing melon to balance it out as sweetness combined with tanginess. There were hints of orange marmalade and a subtle essence of spice. The finish was brisk with no oak and a slight sense of minerality.
86/100
Other notables about the International Series:
When it comes to the International Series, it’s not just about the wine. This package includes excellent edibles from across the sea (in this case, Portugal). In this particular package was Maria Bolacha Crackers, Gonsalves Tuna in Soya Oil, Piri Piri Molho Hot Sauce, and Quintal dos Acores Fig Jam. What a selection!
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