Text João Barbosa | Translation Bruno Ferreira

The Comissão Vitivinícola Regional do Tejo has been sending wines for tasting and they deserve approval – if I may. I can’t write about them all, but there’s a few that show up so happy that there is no excuse or priority that pushes them out of the obligations room.

The companies that produce these two nectars are quite different, starting with the dimension up to the social nature. The company Casal da Coelheira was born in the early twentieth century and has 250 hectares, of which 64 are vineyards. Contrarily, the Companhia das Lezírias is a public limited company owned entirely by the state – 17,800 hectares (1,500 hectares are leased), of which 130 hectares of vineyards.

While being huge, I thought it was even bigger. Still, the Companhia das Lezírias is probably the largest Portuguese estate. If the numbers to which I had access are correct, the area almost comes close to the double of the city of Lisbon (10,000 hectares – Wikipedia).

I will write more, but I could summarize these two wines with an interjection:

– Oh summer! Come here now! Do not be long.

The Casal da Coelheira 2015 is fantastically simple, made on the basis of Touriga Nacional and Syrah. It brilliantly fulfills the function of fun with which it was probably designed. Easy to deal with, pleasant, sweet tooth without being a syrup, where pontificates the blackcurrant aroma. It’s decided! This one is mandatory for this summer! I would not match it with food – possibly a chicken salad with fruit. Wants to talk and will help with seduction … will make a positive contribution to the birth rate.

Casal da Coelheira Rosé 2015 in casaldacoelheira.pt

Tyto Alba Vinhas Protegidas Rosé 2015 in tytoalba.pt

The Tyto Alba Vinhas Protegidas 2015 is an absolute revelation. The name is beautiful! And more beautiful when it is known that it is honoring a magnificent bird: the coruja-das-torres (screech owl) – in Portugal is known by more names.

It is a revelation – for me – because I was not expecting anything comparable at all.

– What is this?! My God!

It was sort of like this. I am fond of rosés, I like them from the sweet up to the extra-dry. Weighing them all, this is (probably) the best Portuguese rosé I ever drank! If it’s not the best I drank, it is at least the one that has given me more pleasure.

It didn’t even benefit from any event that would delimitate it. A normal day of the week, I was neither stressed nor relaxed, neither sad nor happy, neither tired nor athletic, neither hungry nor satiated. I think I was at the ‘point zero’ or ‘point 50’ on a scale of zero to 100.

– What is this?! My God!

Very fresh, elegant, slick, party-animal, an unusual complexity, very easy, great for light fare, great for chatting, magnificent for dancing. With the advantage of weighing only 12.5%. I wished for that moment to never end.

The Tyto Alba Vinhas Protegidas 2015 results from the junction of Touriga Nacional and Merlot. Knowing the heat of the region and looking at the alcohol content of this nectar, I have to say:

– It’s well worth it not to consider rosés as a reds’ sub-product.

After the initial years – in which the rosés were odd, seen as a fad, a solution to use leftovers or a curiosity to help sell “the” wine – nowadays are made in Portugal many ‘true’ or ‘honest’ rosés, made with the will to make and build them well. Both of them are in the section of the national good rosés.

I can only applaud those who wanted to harvest the grapes earlier and engaged in making a wine and not a spare – I do not mean that there isn’t any other good rosés with more whieght and resulting from the grapes harvested for reds.

Unlike coruja-das-torres, the Tyto Alba Vinhas Protegidas 2015 flies by day and night. The bird is a protected species. The wine must be hunted to extinction. And will also help to make babies!