This winter, I’ve immersed myself in wine bargains. I’m rebounding, actually, from a bad break-up with craft beer. Not that the beer wasn’t satisfying. I think I was actually gettin’ too much satisfaction. Now, the subtlety and moderation that I associate with wine is serving as my remedy tonic. And, being a value-focused consumer, I really enjoy the pursuit of a good QPR (quality price ratio) that takes you through different regions, grape varietals, and producers.

Spanish reds have always been my fall-back plan for bargain bottles, but recently, they’ve been replaced in my repertoire by even cheaper Chilean Carménère and delicious blends like Oveja Negra. The juice so often over-delivers for the price, that I almost feel guilty. Almost. Instead, I want more! And better! And cheaper! That’s what lead me to Portugal.

Port Wine on the Decline

If you’ve never tried Port wine, I want to thank you. The port wine business has been drying up for decades, forcing the vineyards to branch out. Now, the very skilled Portuguese winemakers are trying to get a foothold in the (normal?) wine world by selling their juice at great prices, sometimes $6-8 per bottle. I’m still doing my homework on Portuguese wine, but that’s where you come in. We may have to pester our local wine shops, and make suggestions to our favorite restaurant sommeliers. How else are we supposed to do our Portuguese wine homework if they’re not stocked with the stuff?

In the meantime, we have Genevelyn Steele, a local Portuguese wine advocate (among other things). She’ll be pouring at a Tuesday tasting at The Empress on , January 24th. Four wines and four very exciting sounding food pairings (with vegetarian options) for $20 (menu and details posted at the bottom). Should be good and you should go. I expect, Genevelyn will jump on here to correct my inaccuracies, hopefully with a guest blog entry sometime before the tasting.

So, that’s one way to get our feet wet in Portuguese wine. Another is Wine and Beer Westpark on Broad near Gaskins. Matty Lake is closing his beautiful shop in February. Last I checked, they had a bunch of the highly rated Cabriz (probably really cheap, when he starts liquidating his inventory).

Get Beyond the Label: No Yellow Tortuga for You

Back to the homework. Most of the grapes are probably as unfamiliar to you as they are to me. A couple of them look like the word “tortuga” (touriga nacional and touriga franca) and another actually is tempranillo, only in Portuguese (tinta roriz). The prominent regions named Dao and Douro hint at their wine’s flavor. George Taber’s new book, A Toast to Bargain Wine, describes Portuguese reds as “big and masculine.” With labels that look about as pretty as you’d expect a big masculine wine maker to create, you pretty much have to go on faith and stop associating low price with low quality. Hence, Portuguese wines are still obscure (not counting the light and fun vinho verde).

My hope is that I’ll get to taste more of these strange grapes and challenge my palate and not my wallet.  According to Gary Vaynerchuk, that’s a great role for Portuguese wine in your beverage rotation.  Here, he profiles a $6, an $8, and a $15 bottle of Portuguese wine (including that Cabriz I mentioned), unfortunately outdoors in the blazing heat. But, it’s still pretty informative, and of course, bombastic. Note that he was going ape-shit for Portuguese wine in 2009 and probably for years beforehand. And, those prices have probably gone up, at least on the cheaper ones, as they’ve gained acclaim.

But, let’s not let Gary have the last word. Make your recommendations here and tune back in for another post on this topic in a little while.

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Join us for another Tuesday tasting! This time we’re getting into Portuguese wine. This will be a great crash course into a region producing spectacular (but under appreciated) wines.

Course 1: Santolo Vinho Verde
Scallop Ceviche w/ pink pepper crème fraiche
(Vegetarian option: Vegetarian ceviche w/ pink pepper crème fraiche.)

Course 2: Grand ‘Arte Alvanrinho Lisboa
Bacalhau com todos (Salt Cod with “everything”)
Olive oil poached salt cod with carrots, potatoes, broccoli rabe, and garlic.
(Vegetarian option: torched kale and pickled chard stem terrine with carrots, potatoes, broccoli rabe, and garlic.)

Course 3: Quinta Cachao Douro Reserva
Braised beef tongue, paella, and herb quick bread
(Vegetarian option: Oyster mushrooms w/ saffron flash fried in thyme oil over vegetarian paella and herb quick bread)

Course 4 – Fita Azul Passion
Dessert – Peach and goat cheese tartlet with lemon aspic and fresh thyme

Some items will be available as entrees after the event and ask about special to-go pricing on the featured wines!

$20 per person
Reservations strongly suggested
804-592-4000
Please let the reservation taker know if you’re selecting the vegetarian option.