Alentejo has the best red, in Melgaço the best white is made. It is the Top 10 Portuguese Wines, revealed at the Essência do Vinho event, which takes place this weekend in Porto.
There are four days of festivities in Porto: in the 17th edition of Essência do Vinho, at Palácio da Bolsa, the stars are many. In addition to personalities and experts in the field, more than 4000 labels from 400 producers are being tested. In a luxury setting, there are many events on the program, but one of the most anticipated is always the announcement of the Top 10 Portuguese Wines, revealed this Friday at a dinner at Feitoria Inglesa.
This is the 13th edition of this tasting promoted by Revista de Vinhos (owned by Essência do Vinho, which organizes the event and many others), which reached 46 pre-selected finalists from “the wines that stood out most in the year of 2018, proven by the Evidence Panel ”of the publication. “All Portuguese wine regions are represented, with years of harvest ranging from 1985 to recent harvests such as that of 2017”, underlines the organization.
In the whites, the victory went to Regueiro Jurássico I, “a blend of several harvests from Alvarinho, prepared by Paulo Cerdeira Rodrigues at Quinta do Regueiro, in Melgaço (Vinho Verde Region)”, is announced. He achieved the highest score in whites, while in reds it was an Alentejo who won the winemakers: Grande Rocim Reserva 2015, produced by Catarina Vieira and Pedro Ribeiro in Rocim (Cuba, Vidigueira).
For the first time, rosés were also entitled to the spotlight: the victory went to a Regional Duriense, the Quanta Terra Phenomena Pinot Noir 2018, the work of winemakers and producers Celso Pereira and Jorge Alves.
In the fortified ones, Madeira won: Barbeito Malvasia 50 Anos The Japanese, prepared by Ricardo Diogo Freitas da Barbeito Vinhos. At the beginning of the month, Revista de Vinhos held its annual awards gala for the sector: among the many winners, the wine of the year was Niepoort Porto Vintage 2017,
“Top 10 Portuguese Wines”
Regueiro Jurássico I (best white, Quinta do Regueiro, Melgaço, Vinho Verde Region)
Quanta Terra Phenomena Pinot Noir 2018 (best rosé, Regional Duriense)
Grande Rocim Reserva 2015 (best red Alentejo, Rocim, Cuba / Vidigueira, Alentejo)
Barbeito Malvasia 50 Years Old Japanese (best fortified, Madeira Wine, Barbeito Wines)
Ramilo Malvasia de Colares 2017 (second best white wine, Manuel Francisco Ramilo & Filho, Colares – Lisbon)
Teixuga 2014 (third best white, Caminhos Cruzados, Dão)
Obsession 2007 (second best red, Altas Quintas, Alentejo)
Palácio dos Távoras Gold Edition 2016 (third red wine, Costa Boal Family Estates, Trás-os-Montes)
Quinta do Monte d´Oiro Reserva 2016 (fourth red wine, Quinta do Monte d´Oiro, Alenquer – Lisbon)
Graham´s The Stone Terraces Porto Vintage 2017 (second best fortified, Symington Family Estates, Port wine)
The jury: composed of Portuguese tasters and “invited experts and opinion leaders, from a dozen countries – Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Spain, USA, England, Italy, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland. Among them: journalist Jamie Goode (Sunday Express, United Kingdom), Sarah Ahmed (United Kingdom), José Peñin (Spain), Loîc Pasquet (France), Yuri Koster and Cees van Casteren MW (Netherlands), Mabel Lai (China), Bruno Almeida (USA), Cássia Campos (Brazil)
Method: Blind test, which took place on February 20 at Palácio da Bolsa.
