Local wines

[lincdoc]

What are members' favourite, good value local wines? (red, white & vinho verde) We usually shop in Pao do Azucar & occasionally Intermarche or Continente.

[Geoff]

Firstly, I have yet to try a vinho verde that is drinkable !

Some might think my tastes are down-market, but we do think the local cheap Portuguese wines from the Alentejo are all excellent value : much more fruitier and full bodied than many French wines.

In terms of specifics :
Reguengos....white better than red...about 1.80€.....often sold at beach cafes for 6€
Monsarez......red better than white....about 3€......often sold in retaurants at c 12€
Sao Domingos.....red....from Lidl....can't recall price, but not much
Dao, Quinta de Saes , 2005...white from Intermarche...expensive at 6€ , but the Caneiros beach restaurant house wine at a lot more
Serras de Azeitao...red.....excellent, like a Rioja, very full bodied
Tuga.....ful bodied red.....4€

We always stop at SB de Alportel and get 10 litres of Deveiras red for 12.5 € , very good drinking wine , the type of house wine you often get in restaurants. Pingo Doce do quite a good red wine in a box for c6€.

I haven't found a good Portuguese sparkler yet. Any recommendations?
Hope this is useful...best recommendation is to try the supermarket special offers...if you like a bottle, get some more!

[sam]

The only vinho verde I have tried and liked is Casal Garcia - needs to be well chilled. A nice light summer wine.

[Bruce Wallis]

I think there is alot of snobbery about wine, and I think po-pooing Vinho Verde is indicative of that.
Drink it for what it is.....a young, light white wine with a touch of secondary fermentation.
You get one of the drier versions, and I think you get a very good light white wine.

Having said that, there are some very good local and regional Portuguese wines, and they are well worth experimenting with.

I have drunk a damn sight more bad cheap French wines, than I have Portuguese!!

[Geoff]

have drunk a damn sight more bad cheap French wines, than I have Portuguese!!

At least, I agree with Bruce on that one!

[widge]

[quote="Geoff"]Firstly, I have yet to try a vinho verde that is drinkable !

Some might think my tastes are down-market, but we do think the local cheap Portuguese wines from the Alentejo are all excellent value : much more fruitier and full bodied than many French wines.

In terms of specifics :
Reguengos....white better than red...about 1.80€.....often sold at beach cafes for 6€
Monsarez......red better than white....about 3€......often sold in retaurants at c 12€
Sao Domingos.....red....from Lidl....can't recall price, but not much
Dao, Quinta de Saes , 2005...white from Intermarche...expensive at 6€ , but the Caneiros beach restaurant house wine at a lot more
Serras de Azeitao...red.....excellent, like a Rioja, very full bodied
Tuga.....ful bodied red.....4€

We always stop at SB de Alportel and get 10 litres of Deveiras red for 12.5 € , very good drinking wine , the type of house wine you often get in restaurants. Pingo Doce do quite a good red wine in a box for c6€.

Very helpful Geoff - will try them and post a few tasting notes myself.

[EMM]

Given that you know pay £4.00 plus/bottle for industrially produced plonk in the UK where the wine value is probably less than 50p anything over E2.00 is drinkable and E3,00 definetly superior.
If we really want to row the boat out we look at the E5.00 plus wines.
One of the problems is that as soon as you find one you really like it is sold out and could be sometime before it is back in stock again.
Portugal does not produce wines in huge volumes other than the well know budget names.

[laserblazer]

One of the problems is that as soon as you find one you really like it is sold

In a way that's good because it forces you to experiment.

[BarryTodd]

Firstly, I have yet to try a vinho verde that is drinkable !

S

Try Casa Garcia. It is a great terrace wine. To be enjoyed chilled with a light lunch, in the sunshine

[Aldo]

What's at SB Alportel?
has anyone tried the wine co-op at Lagoa?

[Audrey]

Asda sell a very nice Portuguese Tinto for £4. Was £3 78 last week.

[lincdoc]

Thanks folks - very helpful, particularly Geoff's suggestions. I have tried the Reguengos red and white & thought they were surprisingly good for the price. A trip round the Lagoa winery is on the agenda for our next visit.

[Geoff]

Ok, I will try the Casa Garcia on our next visit.....am I correct in thinking its in a clear bottlre with a blue/white label?

Sao Bras de Alportel is about 12 miles inland from Faro , convenient when driving from the airport. The house/shed where it's sold is completely unmarked and difficult to find though.

Would be interested in hearing reports of anyone's trip to the Lagoa winery. We keep meaning to go, but somehow you never visit the places on your doorstep. Must say that their Lagoan wine you get in the supermarkets isn't that brilliant and the restaurant opposite ( O Casarao) stopped doing the Lagoa wine a year or so ago on the basis of the quality of their corks, I believe!

I have heard good reports of the boxed wine from the winery at Alvor ( on N125 , towards Lagos, just past turn off to Alvor ,there is a small turning on right with a winery sign : it's about 0.5miles up there on right).....we visited once and were put off by the expensive bottled wines, but apparently they do a 10 litre box for about 23€ and a 5 litre one for €8 ( different quality). We'll try that next visit, unless someone volunteers to get there first!

[maccasa]

Not a great white drinker but I do like the Pingo Doce "Nico light" - €1.39? - its from somewhere like Setubal? its slightly sparkling and better than the regular white Nico which is Alentejo at 1.69 (but also good) - or Gazela

For reds - almost anything ! - the Pingo 5l box for 5.99 is ok, the 6.99 is good and the 8.99 one even better. Pao d'Azucar tend to have specials for reds - 4.5 reduced to 1.99 and I got several bottles of one called Tera for 1.89 last time.

[Geoff]

If Macassa means Tera Franca , I totally agree.....its usually just north of 2€....the Continente at the Algarve Shopping Centre have it boxed in 5 lts, good value.
There's another nice wine, think its Ponte Ravessa , or something similar...about 1.90€....white a bit better than the red.
Nice thing about Portugal is that you rarely get a poor wine!