Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

This week for Carpe Vinum’s Friday Flights, we’re visiting Portugal, a country that was a maritime great in previous centuries, now better known as “That country next to Spain.” It’s also known for its wine! The most obvious of the Portuguese wines, the one with the biggest profile is, of course, Port. Also known as Porto, named for the city of Porto . . .not just the word “Port” with an “O” at the end. It is also sometimes seen with an “O” at the beginning, making it Oporto. But most of us agree that a silent “O” at the beginnings of words is just silly. (Just ask the Opossum.) So we’ll just call it Porto.

I’m not here to talk about Porto today, though. I’m here to talk about the regular wines coming out of Portugal, and I’ve lined up 5 tasty selections from “That country next to Spain.” These wines, although not as highly publicized as Porto, are wonderful in their own right. And considering that these wines are constantly living in the shadow of the Porto empire, the prices remain reasonable, as well.

Now for the even-more-interesting part. For the 2 Premium pours, I’ve selected 2 tasty Madeiras from Cossart Gordon.

“What is Madeira?” You may ask.

“I’m glad you asked,” I may respond.

Madeira is a Portuguese Island 680 Miles Southwest of Portugal. It is actually closer to Casablanca in Morocco. (300 Miles West.) The wines of Madeira are what I would call the most abused wines in the world. To explain, we go back in History to Madeira being a great seaport, and shipping their wines to faraway places in the United States, Australia and the Far East. Without realizing it, they were actually cooking the wines in the cargo holds of the ships as they passed through the tropics. The resulting style was very popular overseas. (George Washington drank a pint of it nightly, and it was the celebratory drink at the signing of the Declaration of Independence). They only discovered the happy accident of cooking the wine after they had an unsold shipment come back to the island.

Considering that wines are no longer shipped by frigate anymore, the Portuguese have developed a style that replicates that long voyage in the heat. The wine is slightly fermented and then fortified, in the same manner as Port. The wine is then transferred to the Estufa, a wine oven (that’s right – oven), where it is heated to 120 degrees for up to several months. The wines are then transferred to casks and aged for 3 to 15 years (And with a small amount of air in the casks, the wines are oxidized at the same time). The better of the wines are transferred to the roof of the winery where it is exposed to the heat of the sun, rather than be subjected to the oven, for 20 to 100 or so years. That’s quite a bit of abuse for a wine to handle, but the flavors are quite unique and captivating.

So Friday, March 11th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Portugal: Not Just That Country Next To Spain!
Casa Santos Lima 2003 Quinta de Bons Ventos, Estremadura
Cortello 2003 Vinho Tinto, Estremadura
Sa da Baixo 2001 Vinho Tinto, Douro
Cortes de Cima 2001 Chamine, Alentejo
Quinta do Carvalhosa 2001 Ardosino Tinto, Alta Douro

Madeira: The Island Off the Coast of That Country Next To Spain!
Cossart Gordon 5 Year Bual Madeira
Cossart Gordon 5 Year Malmsey Madeira

A stellar deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Australia and New Zealand!

M