Text João Pedro de Carvalho | Translation Jani Dunne

The middle of August is the right time to relax. In fact, at this point, I don’t like to be too picky, nor am I picky with food, so I look for multipurpose wines that everyone will enjoy. Now that Summer is in, it’s about time we pick and chose. Between the beach and the countryside, you certainly won’t miss the grilled seafood, fish or meat. That’s when fresher, lighter food is entitled to a reserved seat at the table; wines should be equally fresh and only briefly aged in wood, or not aged at all.

From the north to the south of Portugal, I have had the chance to choose some of the white wines that have proven all year long to provide me with remarkably good times along with my family and friends. Some of those whites come from the Vinhos Verdes district, where the best examples of Alvarinho and Loureiro are; brands like Soalheiro or Quinta do Ameal are examples of guaranteed satisfaction and, if I forget about a bottle, it will surely last for many years. The connections these wines make with the most various salads, or dishes of middle-eastern influence, completely justify selecting them.

A bit further down, around Bairrada, without forgetting the whites produced there, I decided for the sparkling wines, and went for samples of Adega de Cantanhede and Caves São Domingos. These sparkling wines, like many others, are almost always the starting point of a meal; sparkling wines give the festive atmosphere to a meal; they cheer up the glasses, and their connection with the most varied starters is almost always a success. Still by the sea and already in Lisboa district, I looked for very fresh wines with enough body to be able to accompany dishes from seafood au naturel to casseroles, or even the most varied rice dishes; wines with fewer aromas of a tropical influence, in this case more tense and with that mineral tendency, and an invigorating and simultaneously palate-cleansing acidity. The range of choices is broad and diversified, starting with the versatility of the Arinto variety, including Chocapalha and Vale da Capucha or even Quinta da Murta from Bucelas. Widening the range to include Malvasia de Colares variety, with Arenae da Adega de Colares or Malvazia do Casal de Santa Maria. To finish up my trip to Lisbon, I picked up a Vale da Mata white. Year after year, it performs very well at the table alongside strongly seasoned dishes like oven-baked fish.

I complete my selection with some high-standard rosés, which are no doubt the best you can produce in Portugal. Wines like Dona Maria Rosé (Alentejo) or Covela Rosé (Vinhos Verdes), selected to accompany freshly grilled food; served chilled, they match up to the boldest cuts of meat or the fatter fish. Obviously, I could have made different choices, but this year, whether at the seaside or at the pool, those were the wines I chose to have in my glass.