Blend All About Wine Arquivo de Ilkka Sirén - Page 2 of 2

Let’s Celebrate With Madeira

May 21, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by Ilkka Sirén

Lovebirds. The most delightful poultry of them all. Sparkling wine has been the lovey-dovey drink of choice since pretty much forever. Bubbly is almost synonymous with celebration and if love would be a drink it most definitely would be Champagne. But what if it’s not?

My sister-in-law recently got engaged and as usual a celebration was in order. Now, traditionally in Finland engagement parties are not a big thing. Usually after you have told everyone that you’ve gotten engaged, you might have some cake and coffee with your parents but that’s it. A big party is not very common. Still it’s wonderful news and should be celebrated. So, a small get-together was organised by my sister-in-law and her fiance.

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There was a cake. Made by my sister-in-law herself, of course. It had more layers than an onion and tasted like a rainbow. There was Champagne and plenty of it. Speeches were made and gifts were given. Then, some more Champagne. I like bubbles as much as the next guy but I also think a well-made wine whether it’s sparkling wine, white, red or fortified is a good wine to celebrate with. Being a fan of Madeira I thought it would be nice to give some for the guests to taste.

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As a wine Madeira is as festive as it gets. A complex slow sipper that is almost unparalleled in its seductiveness. I had a couple of wines from Blandy’s to try: 2002 Bual Colheita and 1973 Verdelho. I poured the wines into a couple of glasses and served them to the guests blind. It was interesting to hear their opinions about the wines without them knowing what they were tasting. It seemed that people enjoyed quite a lot the young Bual. Which was slightly surprising. Young Madeiras can be quite strong but I guess the slightly sweeter flavour profile of the Bual made it a bit easier to approach. For me the 2002 Bual was quite closed. It felt like it’s going through a phase and will most likely open up much more with some extra time.

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The 1973 Verdelho on the other hand divided people’s opinions. Granted non of them are professional tasters but as consumers I was curious to hear what they thought of the wines. The wine was much more aromatic than the Bual. Opulent aromas of nougat and dried fruits. The 1973 seems to be in a beautiful age right now. Slowly reaching maturity but still having a long life ahead of it. For some the acidity in this wine was a bit of a shock which I completely understand. It’s an acquired taste. But for me this Verdelho was nothing short of amazing. Another classic example of the uniqueness and sheer power of the wines of Madeira.

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As a celebratory sip the long lingering aftertaste of Madeira makes it a very suitable drink for all kinds of occasions and let’s face it, Madeira is so much more versatile than people think. You can use it from apéritif to digestif and everything in between. It’s not as widely consumed as sparkling wine so it also gives a nice personal touch to your soirée whether it’s a birthday or an engagement party. I can’t think of a better way to congratulate the happy couple and wish them good luck on their journey together than toasting with a wine that can last for a lifetime.

Contacts
Blandy’s
Tel: (+351) 291 740 110
Email: pubrel@madeirawinecompany.com
Website: www.blandys.com

If It’s Meant To Be, It’s Meant To Be

May 7, 2015 4 comments in Uncategorized by Ilkka Sirén

Text Ilkka Sirén

It was the summer of 2009. I was working in Bierzo, Spain as a cellar hand / vineyard mule. For me it was like a dream come true. Just the fact that I was working outdoors in the vineyards, which in Finland is impossible, was a great experience. When I had some weekends off I used to borrow my friends car and drive down to the Douro valley. I knew the area from working there the vintage before in 2008. Going back and forth Douro and Bierzo, some of my favorite wine regions, is still one of my most precious memories. Wine, food, travel, no wife and no kids. Just me and my corkscrew. Long nights and blurred memories of people decanting a bottle of Taylor’s 1966 Vintage Port through a lemon juicer. A frat house of some sorts, full of aspiring young winemakers. Good times. Not that I’m complaining about my life now but you know. By that time I already was madly in love with Douro and was in fact planning to move there one day.

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Being away from home long periods of time isn’t always easy though. I broke things off with my longtime girlfriend before I packed my bag and travelled to Bierzo like the little wine-vagabond that I am. Finland was in my rear-view mirror and I thought that was that. Oh how wrong was I. You know what they say; absence makes the heart grow fonder. It didn’t take too long for me to realize that I was a complete idiot to let my girlfriend go. A classic fool. Luckily before we broke-up she had bought a ticket to Spain and she didn’t want to waste a perfectly good trip, so we decided that she should come and visit me in Bierzo. I saw my window, my second chance to make things right. I knew I didn’t want to spend my life without her so I started planning my proposal.

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One week before my then ex-girlfriend came to Bierzo I drove down to Douro to scout some places where I could pop the question. I wanted it to be special and I just couldn’t think of a more special place than Douro. I drove around for one day visiting vineyards and searching a perfect spot. That night I slept in my car in Pinhão riverfront because I didn’t have a place to crash and I was saving my money for the gasoline to drive back to Douro the next week. But the reconnaissance mission was worth it because I did find a fantastic vineyard with a beautiful view down to the river. The next week I was driving the same old route from Bierzo through Galicia back to Douro with my future wife. She just didn’t know it.

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To put a long story slightly shorter I took her to the special spot, popped the question and she said yes. Needless to say our personal relationship and our relationship with the Douro valley got indefinitely intermingled. We stayed that night in a cozy rural hotel and a wine estate Quinta do Pégo. I didn’t have a ring to give her so the next day we drove to Porto. After strolling around a bit I bought pretty much the cheapest “silver” ring I could find from Vila Nova de Gaia. I know, keeping it classy. But the whole trip was unique, fun and a great way to start our lives together. Much of that we owe to Portugal.

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A couple weeks ago by some freakish coincidence my father-in-law gave me wine to taste blind, which he almost never does. I taste it; definitely a port wine, probably LBV. But when I saw that the wine actually was Quinta do Pégo LBV 2009, the same quinta where we stayed when I proposed to my wife and even the same vintage. I have no idea where my father-in-law found the wine and he didn’t know the quinta so it was just pure coincidence…or was it? Either way, it made all these memories rise to surface like a vinous memory enhancer! How was the wine? Dense, fruity, tannic. A typical young LBV. Definitely needs some years to open up. But more than anything the wine was a good reminder that a wine doesn’t always need to be the most expensive or the best for it to really touch you. Although this was a pretty straightforward LBV it is one of the best LBV’s I have ever had. It made me genuinely happy.

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Contacts
Hotel Rural Qta. do Pégo
Valença do Douro
5120-493 Tabuaço
Tel. + 351 254 73 00 70
Fax + 351 254 73 00 79
E-mail: info@quintadopego.com
Website: www.quintadopego.com

Easter Witches and Port

April 22, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by Ilkka Sirén

Text Ilkka Sirén

Easter time is upon us. We Finns are quite talented in taking any religious holiday, remove anything vaguely religious about it and turn it into a big eating and drinking fest. Sure there is people who go old-school but for most people it’s just a long weekend filled with friends and family around a big table having a good time. We do have our fair share of Easter-kitsch, though. Easter bunnies, chicks and chocolate eggs are abundant. The most famous choclate egg is called Mignon and it’s been around since the late 1800. It’s a real empty egg shell filled with almond-hazelnut nougat. Hollow chocolate eggs are nothing compared to this. There is about two million Mignon eggs waiting to be eaten this week, which is quite incredible considering they are all handmade.

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Speaking of weird Easter traditions. Finnish people also grow grass in their homes during Easter. Not the illegal kind, just your average green ryegrass, in a small bowl which is placed on the table together with some budding tree twigs. It’s supposed to symbolize rebirth of life after winter and the arrival of spring. On top of this there is a tradition of dressing children as witches. Yes, that’s right. It was believed in the old days that during Easter there was witches flying about on their brooms doing all kinds of mischief. Now the kids go door-to-door dressed as witches, whisking willow twigs at strangers to wish them well, for which the kids might receive some candy. A weird mix of Orthodox and pagan traditions. Back in the day big bonfires were also burned to scare the evil witches away. This is still practised even today. As you can see from the picture above; every Easter as a child I used to look like Harry Potter’s grandmother.

Thankfully my career as Dumbledore was not meant to be. Instead I get to drink this quite magical LBV 2008 from Graham’s and relax with my family. Wine consumption goes up quite a bit in Finland during Easter. Especially red wine which is sold from the monopoly stores about 64% more than on an average week. Consumption of dessert wines also go up a bit which brings me to this port wine. A velvety LBV is an excellent Easter drink. I usually serve some fizzy Moscato d’Asti with lighter desserts like panna cotta. But with heavier chocolate desserts and mämmi, this really strange Finnish dessert, I rather go with a sturdy LBV. 2008 was my first visit to Portugal and I worked the harvest in the Douro Valley. I remember that the summer wasn’t particularly hot, for Portugal that is. For a pale Finnish boy it was like roasting in an oven. It felt like I was maturing much faster than the grapes. When the harvest did start there was some grim weather forecasts but even with some, probably much-needed rains, the vintage quality turned out quite good. Especially with some Single Quintas and LBV’s the level is actually more than good.

With the firm yet delicate Graham’s LBV 2008 I’m going super classic with the food pairing. Port wine and an old crumbling Gouda cheese is probably my all time favorite. When that cheese breaks down to small salty crystals in your mouth and you wash it down with this rich, fruity port with tons of depth, the end result is pretty much the closest thing to perfection. The port has already a few years behind it and as a LBV it starting to get that really attractive smoothness around the edges but still remain vibrant and delicious. I shall sip this wine with a big fat smile on my face and keep a tight grip on the glass so that the thirsty Easter witches wont steal it.

Contacts
Graham’s Porto
Vila Nova de Gaia
Portugal
Tel: +351 223 776 484 / 485
Email: Lodge: grahams@grahamsportlodge.com
General: grahams@grahams-port.com
Website: www.grahams-port.com

The Holy Alliance of Cheeseburgers and Port Wine

April 2, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by Ilkka Sirén

Text Ilkka Sirén

Now before you go all “oh no he didn’t”, consider this for a second. Pairing food and wine was never meant to be an impossible task. If we start breaking things into molecular level we risk being bored to death by our own curiosity. I’m here to tell you: keep it simple. For me finding a good food match for wine is an exciting thing and the rules are, there are no rules! Yes, sometimes it can mean you have to take one for the team and try something you probably wouldn’t normally associate with certain wines. In this case a cheeseburger and port wine.

Let me make something absolutely clear. I love port wine. I taste all kinds of wines all the time, and beers, and ciders, and spirits and pretty much anything with some <oomph> in it. But nothing comes close to a good port wine. It’s just an incredibly delicious liquid. There is many great food combinations to match with port. Although it’s mainly associated with desserts I think it is much more gastronomically versatile than that. I admit this burger-port match was at first just a semi-intentional attempt to provoke. I have heard people talking about matching things like juicy pepper steak with port. I thought why not something even more casual, like a hamburger. There was a voice inside my head saying this is not going to work. But I have learned to suppress that instinct.

I didn’t want to dance around it. I knew if this was going to work it had to be a cheeseburger. And not just any cheeseburger, a DOUBLE cheeseburger. Port wine and cheese is a well-known combination and one that I enjoy very much. I have always liked more the extremely tasty combination of sweet and savory, rather than going sweet with sweet. Making burgers is usually a bit devil-may-care but choosing good ingredients is essential for this match to fully succeed. Good beef with a touch of black pepper. Proper cheddar cheese, none of that pre-sliced crap. Additionally I made my own chipotle mayo to bring some nice spiciness to the mix. Pickled red onions for the acidity to give the burger some much needed zing. Always keeping in mind the very definition of a good burger: you have to be able to eat it with your hands.

For the port I chose Ferreira LBV 2009. I wanted something approachable but with some good backbone. This wine is insanely flavorful. I love the mouthfeel, the texture and the upfront fruit with a spicy finish. The wine for this task can’t be no wallflower. It needs to have some character and this wine has just that. Not only is it good value for money, it’s also a very good example of a good LBV port.

So, how was it? Was it good, really? Yes it was. It might not be the fanciest combination but it was one of the most delicious wine and food combinations I’ve had in a while. If you like cheeseburgers (who doesn’t, right?) and port wine (duh!) you will like this combination. If the burger is well made. Just put a gag on your inner wine snob and enjoy something simple but very tasty food. The idea is to lower the bar for experimenting with different foods. That said, you should always keep the bar high for quality. Try it and if it’s not for you, try something else. In the end it’s all about having fun.

Wizards of Madeira

December 17, 2014 no comments in Uncategorized by Ilkka Sirén

Text Ilkka Sirén

The wine industry is well-known for its hospitality. In general people are very welcoming and friendly. When people share the same kind of enthusiasm towards a certain thing, in this case wine, they are more connected and it almost feels like you know the person even if you don’t. Of course there is always a few bad apples but still, I consider the wine industry to be a very pleasant area of business. But that’s just me.

Take Barbeito for example. The first time I visited them on Madeira I was on vacation. I was traveling with my wife and her family. It was a pretty typical tourist trip: sightseeing, pool, Coral (beer), “bolo do caco” garlic bread, “espetada” meat skewers, wine, dodging drunken senior citizens, sleep, rinse and repeat. I did however try to organize a bit of extracurricular activities and went to visit Vinhos Barbeito. Finding the winery turned out to be nearly impossible for the taxi driver but after several pit stops he did manage to locate the premises. During that visit we tasted wines dating back 1875! I mean this was a very casual visit with my in-laws but still they were kind enough to show us these great wines. It was quite amazing, and a good example of the generosity in the wine business.

Vinhos Barbeito is located in an industrial zone high upon a windy hill. While some of the Madeira wineries are quite rustic, the winery of Barbeito has a modern feel to it. Not flashy, just very practical. You could get the sense that someone with a vinous mind has designed the layout of the facilities. Even the handrail in the parking lot is actually a pipe to move the wine from the vinification area to another building that has the bottling line and barrel room. How cool is that!

Vinhos Barbeito was founded in 1946 which is in Madeira-wine-years quite a fresh project. Since then the estate has established itself as one of the most exciting wineries in Portugal. The winemaker Ricardo Diogo seems to be a bit of a wizard when it comes to blending wine. Some call him the “Gandalf of Madeira”. Well, I don’t know if they do but they really should. Not saying that Barbeito wines are perfect, nothing is, but they are rapidly becoming synonymous with remarkably high quality wine.

On my recent visit to the winery the mission was very simple: taste as many wines as humanly possible. Mission accomplished! We tasted through dozens of samples in a line-up that was nothing short of epic. Starting with some younger Tinta Negras, Bastardo, 5-yeard-olds and 10-year-olds. All the way back to the vintage 1834. Let me say that again, 18-frigging-34! That’s old. It’s the year when the Spanish Inquisition ended. Intense. Some wines can’t be accurately described, so I won’t even try. Just going to say that it was beyond awesome.

Here are my picks from the wines:

Barbeito ‘Ribeiro Real’ Verdelho 20 Years Old
A wine made from Verdelho and a touch of 100-year-old Tinta Negra wines from the legendary Ribeiro Real vineyards. Fragrant aromas of spices and a certain delicate intensity that if you’re not careful makes you forget your nose in the glass for a very long time. From the moment the wine touches your tongue it takes you on a ride. The word ‘lingering’ doesn’t even start to describe the longevity of flavours in this wine. It just goes on and on. Fantastic.

Barbeito ‘Mãe Manuela’ Malvasia 40 Years Old
An old blend of Malvasia. A bit of a floral kick, herbs, sweet liquor and hints of dark chocolate. Rich and delicious mouthfeel which is immediately lightened by vibrant acidity which makes the whole experience extremely pleasant. A complex wine that will make you yearn for a glass even weeks after tasting. Definitely one of the most beautiful wines I’ve tasted this year. Superb.

Contacts
Estrada da Ribeira Garcia
Parque Empresarial de Câmara de Lobos – Lote 8
9300-324 Câmara de Lobos – Portugal
Tel: (+351) 291 761 829
Fax: (+351) 291 765 832
Email: info@vinhosbarbeito.com.pt
Site: www.vinhosbarbeito.com

Short moments with Casa da Passarella

July 21, 2014 no comments in Uncategorized by Ilkka Sirén

Text Ilkka Sirén

I like wine. I like food. I like hanging out with good people. I especially like all those things together. Whenever possible I try to surround myself with people I enjoy spending time with, most of whom share my enthusiasm towards all things tasty. I have never had a problem of enjoying a glass or two just by myself but wine, like food, is a thing that really is best when shared. I guess that’s one of the many reasons I love Portugal. It doesn’t take much to convince a Portuguese person to enjoy a glass of wine with you, to share some food, to share a short moment in this erratic life of ours. As corny as it may sound, life is a compilation of those short moments. So, in the spirit of all this I invited some friends over to taste a couple of wines from the Dão region.

Casa da Passarella is an estate that has one of those “neglegted winery saved by a millionaire” – kind of a story. The estate dates back to 1892 and it was a very ambitious project by a guy called Amand d’Oliveira. They planted 200 hectares of vineyards which I imagine was quite a task back in the day. Some of those vineyards still exist. But like with so many other estates, it all ended in ruins. That was until 2007 when the estate was acquired by Ricardo Cabral. A few years and a few million euros after, bada-bing-bada-boom, Casa da Passarella is now starting to make waves again.

Anyways, my friends came over and I popped open a bottle of Casa da Passarella O Oenólogo Encruzado 2012. The wine was timid at first but after a while it started to open up. Most of the ecruzados I see here in Finland are very easy going and usually quite ripe showing tons of tropical fruits. They can be quite nice but it’s not usually the style I go for. This wine on the other hand was less fruit-forward and more restrained showing nice citrus and green herb aromas with a long mouthwatering finish. I made a bit of challenge for the wine pairing it with some spicy chistorra sausage. It was downright sinful, and by sinful I mean sinfully delicious. The slight viscosity of the encruzado worked well with the spiciness and the acidity cut the fatness of the sausage making it a very tasty combination.

Then it was time for some red. We tried the O Oenólogo Vinhas Velhas 2010 tinto, a wine made from old vineyards with a mix of local grape varieties like Baga, Alvarelhão, Tinta Pinheira, Jaen, Tinta Carvalha etc. The nose was spicy with nice red fruit. The thing I like about these Dão wines that come closer to the Serra da Estrela mountain is that they tend to be quite fresh. It’s definitely a cooler wine region which you can taste in the wines. This wine had a nice structure, full bodied and balanced. I was expecting something more “rustic” but instead it turned out to be quite polished. Full-bodied, smooth tannins, persistant aftertaste. Very drinkable already but in 5 to 10 years it could develop into a real panty dropper.

So, there we were. Drinking, eating, laughing while watching the sun go down in Helsinki. It only took some wine, a bit of food and a couple of friends to make me, for that short moment, truly happy.

Contacts
Casa da Passarella
Rua Santo Amaro, 3, Passarela
6290-093 Lagarinhos
Phone: 00 351 238 486 312
Email: info@casadapassarella.pt
Site: www.casadapassarella.pt

António Madeira, The Rising Star of Dão Serrano

July 11, 2014 1 comment in Uncategorized by Ilkka Sirén

Text Ilkka Sirén

I recently attended a meeting of a group of Finnish wine bloggers. Every now and then this bunch of thirsty wine geeks get together to taste some wines, usually blind, and eat some nice food. And you know me, I don’t need much convincing to eat and drink.

Originally we were supposed to have a picnic outside but the weather was not on our side, so we took refuge in a wine cellar located in downtown Helsinki. Everybody brought some bottles and we served them blind to each other. The evening got a dramatic start when one of the bloggers dropped a bottle of Pommery NV champagne from the 70’s on the floor, it broke together with a bottle of blanc de noir still white wine from I-don’t-remember-where. After 15 minutes of cursing and silent contempt we continued with the tasting. Actually the guys managed to save some of the old champagne and pour it into a couple of wine glasses through a coffee filter. It was heavily oxidized and way past its prime but still quite interesting for those of us who like to indulge in occasional wine necrophilia.

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There was all kinds of wines being poured from Kiwi grüner veltliner to Catalan pinot noir. One of the wines I brought was António Madeira Dão Vinhas Velhas 2011. Very likely the first time it was tasted in Finland and I was curious to hear what people thought of the wine.

António Madeira is a French dude but he has his roots in Portugal. He started looking for a vineyard in the Dão wine region in 2010 and found a 50-year-old vineyard in the foothills of Serra da Estrela that had been neglected. António took it upon himself to recuperate it and in 2011 he produced the first wine from this vineyard. I have seen some pictures of this place and it looks like a mini version of Mendoza with the snowy Serra in the background. Not as big and dramatic as the Andes but still very beautiful.

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When I served it to my fellow wine geeks in the blind tasting they had a hard time pin-pointing where it’s from. Not because it didn’t have a distinctive character but just because the wines from Dão are almost completely unknown in Finland. A situation that I hope will change in the future. The closest guess was Galicia. After sniffing and tasting, well drinking to be exact, the consensus seemed very positive. People recognized that it was still quite young but definitely has potential to age well.

So, what did I think of the wine? I had tasted it once before at Simplesmente Vinho event in Porto. I remember tasting many wines that day and in these wine events sometimes even a good wine can get past your radar. I’m glad I had the opportunity to taste this again. What surprised me with this wine is that António, who is a young guy, did not overdo it. You might think why is that so surprising but in my experience many times when these young guns do their first wines they tend to do wines to impress people or prove a point. Too much extraction, too much oak, too “natural” or some other mumbo jumbo. You should keep your ego out of the equation and let the vines speak for themselves, and in this case it seems António has done just that. Something tells me that we will hear much more about Dão Serrano wines in the future.

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António Madeira Dão Vinhas Velhas 2011
This old vineyard has a mix of traditional Portuguese grape varieties like Tinta Pinheira and Negro Mouro. The wine has a very classic feel to it. Bright red fruit with this green pine aroma that I often find in the wines of Dão. Good structure and freshness that offers some nice drinkability already at this age. Which might explain why the bottle got empty at a record speed. Nicely balanced wine that makes you wonder why isn’t Dão wines known worldwide. Well, let it be heard! These wines can win the hearts and minds of any wine enthusiast from Tokyo to friggin’ Rancho Cucamonga.

Contacts
António Madeira
Tel: + 33 680633420
Email: ajbmadeira@gmail.com
blog “A palheira do Ti Zé Bicadas“

The Oenosexual Wines of Quinta das Bágeiras

June 11, 2014 no comments in Uncategorized by Ilkka Sirén

Text Ilkka Sirén

Bairrada might be one of the least known wine regions in Portugal. For many it’s just a blackhole on the map. People just don’t seem to know what to expect when drinking a wine from Bairrada. What makes it even more difficult is that the good wines are often not very easy to approach.

The region’s red king grape is Baga which is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful grape varieties on planet Earth, period. When Baga is well made and slightly aged it can fool anyone in a blind tasting of being a top nebbiolo wine from Piedmont. The whites include Bical and Maria Gomes (Fernão Pires). Bairrada is also known to produce some nice sparkling wine. But if you are searching for character and don’t want to be bored to death by sterile tasting rooms there is one producer in Bairrada which is a must-visit, Quinta das Bágeiras.

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Mário Sérgio Alves Nuno is the owner and winemaker extraordinaire at this unique winery. The first time I met him he sliced and diced an entire suckling pig with these big scissors in front of my eyes and served it to me as lunch. It was love at first sight. By the way, the leitão -suckling pig from Bairrada is extremely delicious. That alone is a good reason to visit the region.

Mário Sérgio produces everything from sparkling wine to reds. He also makes some kickass vinegar which he gave a bottle to me on my last visit. I recently finished the bottle and I almost cried. I need more of it as soon as possible.

His wines are known to be quite good and equipped with distinct personality. If you’re looking for easy-drinking fruit forward wines you should run screaming the other way.

The cellar is full of these tilted stacks of wine that defy gravity. But Mário’s right hand man, the dude with the funny hat, says the stacks never fall. Luckily earthquakes are rare in the area.

Bágeiras is also a part of a group of wineries called Baga Friends that consists of Buçaco, Niepoort, Filipa Pato and a few others. If you’re keen on learning more about Bairrada wines and especially the Baga variety, you should taste through the wines of this gang of talented winemakers.

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Quinta das Bágeiras Branco 2012 Garrafeira
The wine was quite closed at first which didn’t surprise me at all. I’ve learned to expect this kind of slow-release aromas from pretty much all of the Bágeiras wines. After 20 minutes in the glass the wine opened up and became very charming. On the palate the wine is very structured. Superb acidity and flavours of pear and citrus. Definitely an age-worthy wine that you can forget in your cellar for a while. Outstanding.

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Quinta das Bágeiras Pai Abel Branco 2010
The moment I opened the bottle I yelled “meringue!”. This wine has this unmistakable robust and voluptuous aroma that almost reminds me of some Meursault wines. Smells a bit like somebody dropped a haystack on your head and covered your body with sweet apples. Hmm, sounds like a scene from CSI. Maybe I missed my calling as a Hollywood TV writer? Again, mouthwatering acidity and some nutty flavours. The wine is quite rich in texture but in the end very fresh. It already has some age and it seems to be developing quite nicely but could still go for a decade or so.

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Contacts
Mário Sérgio Alves Nuno
Fogueira – 3780-523 Sangalhos
Bairrada – Portugal
Tel: +351 234 742 102
Fax: +351 234 738 117
Site: www.quintadasbageiras.pt/
Email: quintadasbageiras@mail.telepac.pt

Summer Kick-Off and Bairrada Bubbles

June 2, 2014 no comments in Uncategorized by Ilkka Sirén

Text Ilkka Sirén

The winter in Finland has been long, cold and dark. I’m not the biggest fan of the winter here. I don’t mind the cold or the snow, it’s the darkness that really takes it out of me. Imagine going to work, it’s dark. You get out of work, it’s dark. If you work in an office without a window there’s a good chance that you wont see the sun for a couple of months, except maybe on the weekends. And even then the weather might be cloudy.

You only realize how big of an effect this has on people when Spring arrives. When we start getting more daytime in Finland, it feels like the whole country and its people change. Spring here has been equally difficult. It has not been that long since we got our last bit of snow. The winter weather usually does make a couple of comebacks in Spring time which, at this point, doesn’t really surprise anyone. What did surprise us is the awesome weather we have been having here for the last couple weeks. I mean, you could walk outside in a t-shirt! I visited Lisbon last week and it was colder there than in Helsinki, which never happens. When I returned to warm Helsinki I knew it was time for a summer celebration.

Mission number one: I had to assemble a new barbecue station. My father-in-law is a BBQ enthusiast, as am I, so proper appliances are needed for the summer. In just 26 “easy” steps and a couple of beers later we managed to put together a pretty badass BBQ machine. At this point I should point out that we Finns love to barbecue. We spend most of the year indoors so when the weather permits we make the most of it.

There was some excitement over the weekend because Finland was playing in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, which is quite a big deal in this part of the world. The Finnish team had played quite badly in the beginning of the tournament but somehow managed to fight its way to the finals where we were to play against an old rival, Russia. Long story short, we lost. We played like champs and deserved to win but due to unfair referee game we got penalties like every two minutes. It was a very bitter game.

I think it was Napoleon who said “In victory, you deserve Champagne. In defeat you need it”. Well, in my house that same rule applies to any good wine and after that particular ice hockey game I badly needed some nice bubbles. Enter Quinta do Ortigão. Bairrada, the land of leitão -suckling pig, has been on my radar ever since I did my first harvest in Douro. Even back then when I knew very little about Portuguese wines the quality of the sparkling wines was impressive, thanks to the relatively cool climate and the BB. I’m not talking about Big Brother, I meant Baga and Bical grape varieties that are often used in the sparkling wine production in Bairrada. Most of the Bairrada bubbles are quite straightforward, fruity and very quaffable. Good but not great. But some of the bubbles have nice depth and plenty of character which makes the region very intriguing.

Quinta do Ortigão Reserva Bruto 2010 white
The wine has a few years of age and you can already detect some developed aromas. On the nose you have a nice mix of green apples, spices and lime. More restrained and not as fruit forward as the younger bubbles from Bairrada. A delightful aperitive but also wine that can handle food. I had it with some grilled veggies and it worked like a charm.

Contacts
Quinta do Ortigão
3780-227 Anadia
Bairrada – Portugal
Tel: (+351) 231 503 209
Fax: (+351) 231 503 209
E-mail: palegre@quintadoortigao.com

Let the adventure begin!

April 21, 2014 no comments in Uncategorized by Ilkka Sirén

Text Ilkka Sirén

I’m going to be honest with you. I haven’t been the biggest fan of Alentejo as a wine region. I know that might upset certain people but it’s the truth. I don’t have anything against Alentejo, it’s just that I’ve always gravitated more towards Northern Portugal like Bairrada, Dao, Douro and Vinho Verde.

Reason for this is simply that when I travel to Portugal I usually fly to Porto where you can access these wonderful wine regions relatively fast. Alentejo is a bit further away and I usually just don’t have time to venture that far south.

So it took me a while to visit the region, but last year I finally did. And all I can say is, WOW! Alentejo is beyond beautiful. I mean how could you not like the incredible landscape, olive oil, cork trees and warm weather. Not to mention it is the home to one of the most delicious living things on the planet, the black Iberian pig. So, if you like plenty of sunshine and good food, then you should definitely visit Alentejo.

Blend-All-About-Wine-Let-the-Adventure-Begin-Aventura-2012

The wines are diverse both in style and in quality. You can find some amazing vinho down in Alentejo but you will probably encounter quite a few disappointments too. But to fully appreciate and understand these wines one must visit the region and I personally can’t wait to get back there to discover more what this region has to offer.

For two years winemaker Susana Esteban searched vineyards in Alentejo before finding two plots with each its own personality, and from those two vineyards she started what appears to be a very promising project. Freshness is not the first word that comes to my mind when I think about Alentejano wine, but somehow Susana has managed to make a couple of wines that are both equipped with unusual freshness which makes the vibrant fruit pop out like a Playboy bunny from a big cake. I wouldn’t say these are the two most exciting wines in the world but they are a very welcomed breath of fresh air and this will only add to the already versatile wine pool of Alentejo.

Blend-All-About-Wine-Let-the-Adventure-Begin-Cork

Aventura 2012/Susana Esteban Vinho Regional Alentejano

If you would combine a handful of cute flowers stolen from your best friend’s wedding bouquet, added a dash of black pepper and liqourice, rubbed them together in your hands it would smell exactly like this wine. Well, probably not exactly but close enough. This wine reminds me of some spicy Zweigelt from Austria that I’ve tasted. Straight forward, youthful, unoaked with a lingonberry-like finish (no, I did not made that up). With “just” 13,5% which is quite moderate for Alentejo, and some lively acidity this wine offers some good old drinkability. A delightful tipple for those of us who like to embark on vinous adventures.

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Procura 2011 Vinho Regional Alentejano

This particular wine was the first of this project. It’s a blend of Alicante Bouschet from a vineyard near Évora and mixed varieties of who-knows-what from an older and much cooler vineyard in Portalegre. The wine starts as quite intense yet delicate. Might even be a bit too intense if it wasn’t for the lively acidity to keep it in check. The name Procura means ‘search’ in English and no matter how much I searched I couldn’t detect the relatively high alcohol. With 14,5% this wine is balanced and has nice vibrant fruit.

(I’m not a big decanter geek but if you’re into that sort of stuff you might want to try decanting this to see if it mellows a bit.)

Contacts:
Susana Esteban
Headquarters- Av. António Augusto Aguiar, Nº 100, 4º Esq. / 1050-019 Lisboa
Winery – Quinta Seca da Boavista / 7490-311 Mora
E-mail: susana@susanaesteban.com
Site: www.susanaesteban.com

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