Text João Pedro de Carvalho | Translation Jani Dunne

I went back to my origins, to the land where I was born (Vila Viçosa), and this is where I have been spending the last few days, enjoying a sort of mini-holiday. I have used this time to rendez-vous with and revisit old friends, as well as to once again see my hometown I missed so much. Therefore, it’s expected, and also natural, that the best of these moments take place at the table, where besides cuisine, we also share wine and a good mood.

At the meal I attended last evening, many were the wines that joined us at the table. It was curious to see that with almost all of these wines, as they were served, they were welcomed with the most varied comments. Here, as anywhere else, there is a moment when you only drink and chat, when the wine in question seems to be forgotten, even mistakenly, and misses the discussion shared between those present. That wine suits the taste of all those present, in a generalised consensus; it pleased them so much, nobody even mentioned it. We usually say “he who doesn’t speak agrees”, hence the silence.

One of those wines was Vale dos Ares Alvarinho 2014, from the region of Vinho Verde, produced by Miguel Queimado (MQ Vinhos) and oenology by Gabriela Albuquerque. This Alvarinho is not easily tempted; it does not exceed in exoticism, nor does it lack assertiveness; it lives somewhere in-between. But living in-between doesn’t mean it lacks character; not at all. It’s elegant, knows what it wants, proves serious and convincing, wrapped in a beautiful fresh fragrance. Elegant and harmonious, refreshing and inviting, it improves after some time in the glass, making a refreshing mouth tasting marked by the fruit, balance and steady structure, although flexible, because the wine seems to mould to our palate, much due to the bâtonnage it underwent. Nothing to add, of course, except for what somebody at the table said: Is there any more of this one?

Contacts
MQ Vinhos, Unipessoal Lda
Quinta do Mato, sn, Lugar do Mato
4950-740 Sá-MNC
Tel: (+351) 251 531 775
Telemóvel: (+351) 934 459 171
Email: info@mqvinhos.pt
Site: mqvinhos