Portugal gets passionate about pushing its whites
More than 50 Portuguese producers showed wines made from indigenous white grapes at a tasting organised by the Independent Winegrowers' Association in a bid to promote Portugal as a white wine producer.
On show at the Portuguese Embassy in London were 61 wines selected by an independent judging panel comprising Charles Metcalfe, Sarah Jane Evans MW and Portuguese wine journalist David Lopes Ramos, who blind-tasted more than 120 wines before making the final selection. Highlights included Frei Gigante 2006, an Arinto/Verdelho/Tarrantez blend from the Azores; Gouveio/Viosinho blend Vertice 2007 from Caves Transmontanas in the Douro; and Soalheiro 2007, a varietal Loureiro from Vinhos Verdes-based Quinta de Soalheiro.
Pedro Araujo, of Quinta do Ameal, said: "Portugal has a lot of diversity in terms of the wine it produces and in the past 15 years quality has improved dramatically. But our white wines aren't from the kind of grape varieties that people are used to. Now the quality is there we've got to raise awareness in the UK market."
Ana Sofia Oliveira, of ViniPortugal, said: " We need to show we are different than what people think about us, which is usually just port and rosé. Portuguese wines are all about passion and tasting something different."
