Afros Vinho Verde is bang to rights for the Wine Detective
Sarah Ahmed – The Wine Detective My top five wines of the year: Portugal
Posted Thursday 30th December 2010
Featured, Portugal Links
The end of the year is an opportunity to reflect on which wines made the most lasting impression. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I revealed my top five Australian and Loire wines. Today it’s Portugal’s turn.
Five wines might seem fairly paltry after the unveiling of My 50 Great Portuguese Wines 2010 in February. This selection was finalised last December since when I’ve tasted many more wines, including another very exciting vintage in the Douro (2008). But did any 50 Great wines also sneak into my top five? Check out the list below.
Afros Vinhão 2009 (Vinho Verde)
Anyone reading these pages knows what a huge fan I am of Vinho Verde, especially its Alvarinhos, however I’ve opted for a red Vinho Verde as my pick of the year. Not just because it’s a terrific wine, but also because it highlights one of Portugal’s key strengths, the affinity of its wines for food. A vivid nose and palate has a chicory edge to its concentrated but sappy cassis and wild berry fruit. Lees ageing buffers the acidity without losing the freshness or minerality. Vinhão can be angular, but this is wonderfully svelte - a sophisticated match for my char-grilled fillet of salt cod, as was Afros sparkling Vinhão with sardinha de escabeche (pictured). (Check out my report here of a visit to this biodynamic estate for more great Vinho Verde/food matches).