IN the same way beetroot can split a room, some wine-producing areas elicit mixed responses from tasting groups.
When was the last time you got excited about a Tannat from Uruguay, or an Indian Sauvignon blanc, or even an indigenous blend from Portugal? However, those countries are all producing cutting-edge wines at fantastic prices.
In the past 20 years, since Portugal joined the EU, the whole wine industry has been modernised. Yet producers have managed to keep their unique identity by continuing to focus on the quirky, indigenous grapes. The wines have the rustic quality of their Spanish cousins, and the food-matching capabilities of Italy.
You can split the country into two, with the rainy north producing top-quality, terroir-driven wines and the hotter south having more of a focus on the softer, more accessible styles without compromising on flavour. Look out in particular for wines from Setubal, Estremadura and Alentejo.
The Ponte das Canas Alentejano 2009 (Inverarity One to One, £17.99) is a blend of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional (both Port grapes) and Alicante Bouschet and it is just lovely.
Waitrose have a decent selection of wines from Alentejo, the best of which in my opinion is the Cortes de Cima Syrah 2011 (Waitrose, £11.49). This is big and rich and very lush on the palate. Unusually for the area, the wine is 100% Syrah. Hopefully, this will encourage more people to taste the wine, and experiment with indigenous blends.
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One,
185a Bath Street, Glasgow.
www.inverarity121.com
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