Portugal remains the dark horse of Europe, growing at least 250 unusual, thrilling, characterful indigenous grapes, with at least ten more, according to Portuguese ampelographers, waiting to be revealed. Factor in the 197 different clones of its leading Douro red grape, touriga nacional, and it’s easy to see why the country, unsung as a producer despite having the highest density of native grapes in the world, is a vinous treasure trove.
Annoyingly, Portugal’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. More than three quarters of drinkers choose wine by grape variety before any other factor, including country of origin. It’s high time we climbed off the endless sauvignon blanc-malbec merry-go-round and got reacquainted with Portugal’s best, which deserve to be better known.
Crisp, light, dry and refreshing vinho verde, from damp, green northern Portugal, made from the alvarinho grape, better known as albariño over the border in Spain, is making lots of new friends here. The bold, spicy, floral 2022 M&S Expressions Alvarinho (Marks & Spencer, £10) comes from a family-owned quinta that, like lots of other Portuguese estates, only started to bottle its wine in 1985 having previously sent grapes to the local co-op.
• Why riesling is my top white
A hop east brings us to the mighty Douro valley, the largest mountain vineyard in the world and home to some increasingly fine white and red table wines, the latter made from the same trio of grapes responsible for port. Increasingly, multi-grape white Douro blends are a thing of wonder and the port house of Ferreira has the glorious 2022 Casa Ferreirinha Vinha Grande (Hedonism, £18.70), an elegant, herby, citrus-scented charmer made from arinto, gouveio, rabigato and viosinho.
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Tuck into Dirk Niepoort and his son Daniel’s contemporary spin on the theme, a cracker of a Dao grape-led 2021 Generation Series Portuguese Red (thewinesociety.com, £17.50), all wild herbs and seductive savoury fruit. Way down south, the vast, hot Alentejo used to be home to duds but Portugal’s EU entry, temperature control and decent winemaking kit has turned the region around. Curiously, the French grape alicante bouschet thrives here, and has been blended with touriga nacional in Morrisons’s 2022 Cidade Branca Alentejo (£8.75) to produce a smoky, herby, red cherry-stacked gem.
Portuguese stars
2021 Animus Douro
13 per cent, Aldi, £6.49
Lashings of oaky, vanilla and sweet herb-scented fruit, made from the usual Douro grape trio.
2021 Cantina Segreti Castelao
13.5 per cent, Waitrose, £6.99, down from £8.99
Hearty French and American oak-aged castelao grape red with masses of rich, herbaceous, meaty fruit.
2022 Generation Series Bucelas
13 per cent, thewinesociety.com, £13.50
Little-known but absolutely delicious, bright, nutty, floral, stone-fruited white, made from the arinto grape.
2022 Quinta dos Carvalhais Encruzado Dao
13 per cent, nywines.co.uk, £24.99
Scrumptious, scented, steely, lemony, mineral-edged encruzado white dao aged in French oak.
This week’s best buys
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2022 Specially Selected Freeman’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
13 per cent, Aldi, £7.69
The best sub-£8 Marlborough sauvignon blanc on the block, with terrific, zesty, green pepper pizzazz.
2019 Glorioso Rioja Crianza, Spain
14 per cent, thewinesociety.com, £10.95
Gorgeous Glorioso, from Bodegas Cosme Palacio, is a consistently sensual, leafy, cedary, sandalwood-scented sip.
2023 Paul Mas Marsanne, IGP Pays d’Oc, France
13 per cent, Asda, £7.50, down from £8.75
Broad-shouldered, nutty, dried apricot of a rhône-aping white, with enough oomph to cope with strong spices.
2020 Taste the Difference Amarone, Italy
14.5 per cent, Sainsbury’s, £20 or 3 for £15 each
Most supermarket amarone is horrid but this tasty, beefy, vanilla pod-licked 2020 gets my vote.
