From Maritime Bairrada in Portugal, Wines of Freshness

I have loved Portuguese wines forever and found that rarely anyone knows about them beyond the beloved Vinho Verde (which, if you ever live in a hot clime, is the perfect summer wine). I still do not understand why so few travel to Portugal. Some sites remain top on my list, especially Sintra. Great article. Thanks.

In 2009, at the height of the recession, my wife and I traveled to Portugal for 10 days. Knowing next to nothing about Portuguese wine (Portugal = port, correct?), we found that sommeliers and waiters had no shortage of time to expound about Portuguese wines to us. At a wine bar in Porto I requested a red wine tasting. It turned out the owner was a part owner of a vineyard in the Duoro Valley. He called Vineyard owners and set up us with a number of private tours. So thank you Eric for writing (again) about the wines of Portugal. In summary, they represent fantastic value. And aren't just one more bottle of the internationalized grapes. On a last point, a wine tasting trip to Portugal is "vaut le voyage" as a rather well-known wine producing country says.

Having imported and distributed PT wines for a decade it is so gratifying to see the fascinating wines of this country take their rightful place on the world stage. Try the wines of Anselmo Mendes.... Quinta do Mouro...Esporao to name but a few.

I started drinking Mateus in college in 1975 quite by happenstance. Portuguese wine, like Portugal and its people, doesn't have the reputation of France, Italy or Spain. But it turns out the I like Portugal and its wine much more than any others. Of the four countries, I'd retire in Portugal in a heartbeat if I got the chance. Which is nice. Because even here in the state, you don't have to buy me an expensive red to curry my favor: Most vinhos verdes will do. I like Casal Garcia rosado, while my wife likes Aveleda white.

My wife and I spent several weeks in Portugal in early spring, and I was really impressed with their wines, they easily compared to wines from Napa and Sonoma, with one exception- they were considerably less expensive. I never spent more than 9 euros on a bottle, and mostly less. Lots of wonderful blends. I think think the drinking of wine there is a less heady affair than the cult-like fascination we have with wine her in the States.

Last Fall, we went to wine/cheese shop in Coimbra and spent 2 hours tasting Barrida reds. https://www.yelp.com/biz/kabra-velha-coimbra

My favorite portuguese wine (red) comes from the area “Tras-os-Montes”. Unfortunately difficult to find, even in other parts of Portugal. Buy, if you can find it and drink it in winter, as it is too rich for the warmer months.

I don’t know anything about wine but the older I get the more interested I am. I was at a neighbor’s potluck recently and a Portugese couple brought a “vinho verde” with them. I said I know red, white , pink wine but never heard of verde! They said it exist/made only in Portugal !

But do those other Portuguese wines signify youthful elegance the way a candle on the Mateus bottleneck did?

Go into any good wine shop in America and you will find a selection of Spanish Ribera del Duero reds, many of them of great quality. Try to find Portuguese equivalents and you are almost certain to be disappointed. This, despite the fact the the Portuguese reds from the Douro are easily as good as the Riberas and noticeably less expensive. Who is at fault? Not just the producers but the government people responsible for wine exports. Too bad. The people in the U.S. who make lists of 90 point wines for under $20 would have a field day.

Thank you Eric for the timely discussion of select wines from Portugal. We are leaving for Lisbon in early September and will spend a month in Portugal. That got me to thinking ... I know you comment on certain stories in the Food Section associated with wine pairing for recipes. It would be very interesting to see your comments in the Travel Section, as well, especially when discussing international wines not readily available outside NYC. Folks traveling from other parts of the USA could benefit from these references.

Ahhh.....Mateus. Back in 70s as a twenty-something was a date wine as good as one could get (so thought that 20 something). Major upgrade from Ripple and Boones Farm from college and from Cold Duck and Blue Nun later on. Who knew about Napa, Sonoma or anything Euro? I may forego my Pinot tonight and try and find a bottle - can always use it for cooking!

Note to the editor: A summary list, at the end of the article, of the wines discussed would have been appreciated. Thanks.

Strznge to see these prices. Obviously I'm not commenting from the USA but from Europe, but Portuguese wines, including the ones giving the French and Italian bigger names a run for their money, are here between 5 and 15€ (6 & 18$). As a long time fan of Portuguese wines I can clearly tell you what the biggest difference is between Portugal and some other producers: the 'assemblage'. Other countries specialise in single 'cepage' wines whereas the Portuguese winemakers have concentrated on making nice, smooth, taste wines whatever the combination of grapes. Some wines have up to 4 or 5 cepages, mostly indigenous types. That's what makes them stand out.

Eric, I don't understand your infatuation with Colares, other than "De gustibus ..." Based on an earlier column you wrote, I bought a 500-mil bottle of Adega Viúva Gomes Colares (2007) for $40 from K&L Wine Merchants in San Francisco. Kinda pricey beyond my usual but I was curious. It was undrinkable, and I didn't feel there was even a glimmer of a possibility that it might ever become drinkable. OK, one bottle, one producer. But think about it: Is it really possible to produce a fine wine grown in what is basically beach sand? I would appreciate hearing your response and other readers' impressions, but there is so much really terrific, reasonably priced wine -- including from Portugal -- in the world that I probably won't bother with another Colares.

I had my first and almost only vino verde on the cool winter beach at Albufeira on the Southern Coast of Portugal in 1982 - it surprised me with a unique fresh green grassy unripe fruit taste I've never had before or since. I was sharing the vino verde and strawberries with a just-married Canadian couple. We were the only people on the beach, and seemed to be the only tourists in town. I still remember it as if it was yesterday.