Text Ilkka Sirén

Traveling up and down Portugal is an experience. Driving through the little villages, endless number of roundabouts and beautiful landscapes is part of the fun when hopping from wine region to wine region.

Most people have this image about Portugal that it’s the land of never-ending sunshine. Sure, you can get some really good weather while down in Portugal but because the country is dangling on the edge of Europe with both feet firmly in the Atlantic Ocean the weather can get quite gnarly sometimes. This trip was one of those times.

We set out to have a tasting at Monte d’Oiro estate near Lisbon. Mother Nature might be an absolutist because she opened the flood gates the very second we stepped into the car. Our car was immediately converted into a submarine not unlike the one in that James Bond movie. The amount of water coming down from the sky was biblical. Windscreen wipers were sweeping at maximum speed, cod fishes were swimming in the opposite lane and I’m pretty sure I saw the Kraken. Surprising how difficult it is to drive when you don’t see more than one meter in front of you.

We did however manage to find the estate and even the rain stopped, for a short moment. After taking a quick look at the vineyards which are located just in front of the winery we went to the cellar and had a quite an extensive tasting from white to reds, new vintages and old vintages. While we were sipping through the wines Mother Nature continued protesting outside and the rainstorm turned into a thunderstorm.

We were joined by José Bento dos Santos, a metal broker in previous life who acquired the estate of Monte d’Oiro in 1986. He was kind enough to offer a vinous refuge from the ghastly weather outside. The quinta is well-known for producing food friendly wines from not just Portuguese grape varieties but also Syrah, Viognier and Petit Verdot.

We tasted through several flights of wines and after a while a pattern started to emerge. The wines were consistenly good, restrained in aromas and driven by acidity and structure. Lisbon’s wine regions are generally quite cool compared to Alentejo for example. The Atlantic influence is very present often giving the wines freshness and loads of drinkability.

If there’s one thing I took back from this tasting it was that the wines of Monte d’Oiro age fairly well. Even though some vintages were showing better than others, which is normal, the wines hold to their guns and kept showing great character.

My two picks from the tasting:

Quinta do Monte d’Oiro Reserva 1999
Syrah based red with some big cojones. Beautifully matured aromas of black olive tapenade, herbs and red berries. Smooth tannin structure and still some nice vibrant acidity. A wine that could still go for many years. Very good.

Quinta do Monte d’Oiro ‘Homenagem a Antonio Carqueijeiro’ 1999
Slightly more developed than the Reserva. Showing more of that rustic “barnyard-y” aromas but still with some lovely perfume of cherry and spices. Reminds me a bit of Saint-Joseph wines. Drink now or wait a couple of years but make sure you have some good food to go with it.

After the tasting it was time for dinner. Mr. Bento dos Santos is a gastro-enthusiast to put it mildly. Apparently the man is on first-name basis with Paul Bocuse, among many other accolades. To put a long dinner shortly we had what was according to the host the best beef in Europe, awarded by some sort of a beef magazine. Who knew there was a magazine just for beef? Well, the dinner was absolutely delicious of course. What made it even more delicious is that we had five different rums as a digestif. I did not object. All in all a great insight to one of Lisbon’s finest wineries and it was, despite the horrible weather, well worth the visit.

Contacts
Freixial de Cima
2580-404 Ventosa Alenquer
Tel: (+351) 263 766 060
Fax (+351) 263 766 069
Email: geral@quintadomontedoiro.com
Site: www.quintadomontedoiro.com