portugal

Douro Reds Battle

We’ve had organized comparisons of Portuguese red wines twice before (the last version in March 2015), but this time we chose to focus on a single appellation, that of the Douro.   Results were relatively tightly clustered, with few points separating our most enjoyed wines. At the top of the podium was an outstanding value […]

Douro Reds Battle Read More »

Albariño Scuffle #2

This was our second comparison of Albariño bottlings (the first was in July 2009), and we concluded that not only are these tasty, food friendly summer sippers, they are also excellent values. While the top two bottles were the most expensive of the night, they were a very reasonable $18, and all bottles deserved some praise,

Albariño Scuffle #2 Read More »

Albariño Scuffle

This month’s tasting ended with perhaps the most unusual results yet encountered during these monthly gatherings.  There was a tie for first place, only three wines received votes, and all three were the same wine!  That is, all three were from the same producer, same bottling, and same vintage . . . yet all three

Albariño Scuffle Read More »

Meeting of the Ports

Among the sweet wines in the world, port is one of the most revered.  Made in the remote, rugged Douro river valley of Portugal, the wines are dense, rich, and extremely long-lived.   This tasting was a non-blind comparison of a few different styles of port, such as basic ruby, tawny, and vintage.  Vintage ports

Meeting of the Ports Read More »