Portugal: White, including Vinho Verde
2017 Gold: 2 Silver: 8 Bronze: 9 Commended: 6
2016 Gold: 3 Silver: 5 Bronze: 5 Commended: 9
There are, it seems, as many opinions on Portugal’s white wines as there are grape varieties in this western edge of Iberia, ie blemming hundreds. Our tasters variously described these wines as ‘original’, ‘complicated’, ‘great value for money’, ‘commercially irrelevant’ and ‘stimulating’. And none of them was wrong.
The cheap wines (including Vinho Verde) were generally well liked for their ‘freshness but something more’. Where it got more problematical was once we took a step up in ambition.
Some loved the richer, more Alvarinho-based VVs, for instance; others felt they were ‘less typical’. Others enjoyed the expensive, oakier whites, but to their critics they were just an impossible sell and less good than Burgundy for the price.
You pays your money and takes your choice…
Either way, this is a growing and vibrant section of the competition, so it’s worth keeping an eye on.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘The top-end whites were complex – very different to other whites you might buy. They have a really original character.’ Sarah Jane Evans MW, team leader
‘There were some really good wines in the Vinho Verde flight. At the lower price points you’ve got the more traditional style. As the price goes up, you got wines with very high complexity and some oak influence, but keeping the fruity characteristic of Vinho Verde.’ Francisco Macedo, Bovey Castle
‘I’m not sure that the public are behind Portuguese whites. They’re still quite a hard sell.’ Richard Brooks, Caroline Catering
‘These should be drunk in Portugal sitting on a beach. I’m not quite sure where you’d fit them into a restaurant wine list.’ Neil Tabraham, Paris House
‘Portugal is difficult: in the Douro alone they can use 150 different grape varieties and most of the grapes are hard to pronounce. But Portugal is such great value for money.’ Federico Forte, Plateau
‘Vinho Verde should be bottled under screwcap for freshness. It you keep it in your cellar for a year it would lose that fizz. The screwcapped wines we saw were fresher.’ Laurent Richet MS, team leader
‘At the top end they seemed really expensive and really overpriced. They had a lot of oak thrown at them but had not much character or mid-palate weight. They felt commercially irrelevant.’ Sam Caporn MW, team leader
‘The Vinho Verdes were a well-made collection of wines for not too much money.’ James Hocking, The Vineyard Group