We were very pleased to be invited to a tasting of some special Portuguese wines this week. The tasting was to be at Muratie Wine Farm and would be followed by lunch. We do not see many good Portuguese wines in South Africa, most often Port and entry-level Vinho Verde. Both of us are familiar with Portuguese wines from travelling and our studies and it was a really good opportunity to see what the modern Portuguese industry is producing
The Muratie Wine Cellar is in Simonsberg, Stellenbosch
These were the wines we were to
taste
There were members of the wine
industry, wine trade and some media at the tasting
Joaquim Sa of Amorim Cork hosted the tasting
He introduced João Portugal
Ramos, who founded Duorum wines with winemaker José Soares Franco in 2007. They
are two of Portugal’s most renowned oenologists. Sr. Ramos is widely considered
"the King of the Alentejo”. He began as a wine consultant in the 1980s and
today runs successful projects in the Alentejo, Vinho Verde, Beira, and Douro.
With him was his son João, who is also a winemaker. He is doing a harvest with
Guy Webber at Neethlingshof this year
The company's mission statement is "Our purpose is to be a reference for Portuguese wines at international
level by conferring a particular identity to different wines in which consumers
can rely on." Their web address is
We had a PowerPoint
presentation about Duorum wines and the different areas they are grown in
Here they are on the map
This is a detailed wine map of
Portugal
We began with the 2016 DOC
Vinho Verde. Grown on granite soil on very high vineyards from 85% Loureiro,
15% Alvarinho grapes. It has 13% alcohol. The wine has no gas or sugar added as
many entry level Portuguese Vinhos Verde do. Typically, they have about 9%
alcohol. It is made in tanks and they work with the lees. It is clean and fresh
with crisp grape and citrus aromas, full on the tongue at first, then citrus
dry with chalky minerality on the end. Sells for €4.
Next a 2016 Vinho Verde from
100% Alvarinho. Similar on the nose to the first wine, but with more maturity
and ripeness. It is also fuller and shows more quality. Crisp acidity with
apple Riesling notes, then citrus and flinty minerality. It has been partly
fermented in 20% French oak, which shows on the wine with golden notes; the balance is fermented in tanks. A food wine
Wine #3 was Marquês de Borba
Branco DOC Alentejo from Arinto, Antao Vaz and a touch of Viognier. Grown on
Limestone and schist soils, it is perfumed with honey and peaches. Dry on the palate
with light touches of honey; then it becomes deeper and longer. Unwooded. It is
from a hot area where the harvest starts on about the 9th of August
Then the Marquês de Borba Red
from Alentejo. 4 grape varieties: Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Trincadeira,
Touriga Nacional and grown on limestone and schist (slate). Fermented in
shallow marble lagares (kuipe), the grapes are pressed by feet; they will soon have
roto presses. The blend is not prescriptive, it depends on the harvest. Almost
a Merlot note on the nose, dry tannins and chalk at first, soft fruit and the
port varietals show. Long and chewy with almonds, red and black cherries and
some morello, ending in dark licorice, cassis, spice and pepper. Some is aged
for 6 months in second fill oak barrels and then blended with the tank
fermented wine. Sells for €6. Another
easy drinking food wine
The 5th wine was the Marquês de
Borba Reserva 2012. Sells for €40. Made
from Aragonez, Alicante Bouschet, Trincadeira, Cabernet Sauvignon. DOC Alentejo
on Schist soil. The wine is almost black and completely opaque. Only the
natural wild yeast is used in its fermentation in the open largares, with
malolactic fermentation taking place in second year barrels. It is then aged
for 18 months in small French oak barrels. The Cabernet influence shows well on
the nose; it's a cassis bomb with a dive-in nose, really attractive. Dry chalk
on the palate first, then heady berries and warm alcohol. Toasty wood and chewy
tannins with salty licorice on the end
Then came Tons de Duorum Red
2015, an entry level red grown on schist. DO Douro from three port varietals: Touriga
Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz. Sells for €4.
The vineyards are very steep and they get 25 hectolitres per hectare. It is
savoury, rather like a Mourvèdre with good toasty wood, dark black berries, with
very dry and chalky tannins
Son João told us how the wines
are made
Some pictures of their
vineyards at Vila Santa in Alentejo
And the steep vineyards in the
Douro where Duorum is grown. It means "From Two"
Some of the awards the wines
have earned
Wine #7 was a 2007 Duorum DO
from Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz on schist soil, with 12
months in French oak barrels. So nice to be able to taste an earlier wine. It
has a blockbuster nose, which blows your hair back. Deep, dark and spicy with
red and black berries; very attractive. On the palate, soft and silky tannins,
then drying chalk. Built to last years. Blackberries on the palate and the oak
is there, but just supporting with a nice peppery end. The chalky tannins on
these wines do rather take over your palate after a while
Wine #8 was the 2015 Duorum LBV
Port made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Souzão in the
Douro. This needs decanting; it is still young. On the nose, merlot berries,
cassis, violets and mulberries. Crisp and smooth, velvety, nice lively fruit
acids; will become complex. This wine is well balanced with a long persistent
finish
The final wine was 2011 Duorum
LBV Port. Christmas pudding fruit with cinnamon and clove spices. Soft, sweet,
powerful, with warm alcohol, length and depth. Silky on the palate. 104 g/l sugar.
This will reward with more age
They told us that in Portugal
they are only allowed to sell one third of the Port in the release year, so
that they will have future stocks. It was a very good and very interesting
tasting. We learnt a lot and we know it will assist us on our upcoming trip to
Portugal and Spain. We will certainly know which wines to buy while we are
there. Thank you family Ramos
Rijk Melck enjoying what is in
his glass
The other winemakers present
also enjoyed the tasting. De Wet Viljoen of Neethlingshof, Johan Malan from Simonsig, Anri
Truter from Beyerskloof
Joaqim Sa of Amorim Cork with
Danie and Peter de Wet of Dewetshof, with Marina Calow of WOSA and Jeanri-Tine
van Zyl. Mrs Ramos is on the extreme right
The Ramos family with Joaqim Sa
Time for lunch and the starter
was smoked salmon on bruschetta with a rocket salad and balsamic reduction
Kim Melck and her chef had
organised the lunch
The main course was one of
their legendary lamb shanks with grated carrot, butternut and green beans,
mashed potato and a great red wine jus. Delicious
The dessert was a light lemon
pannacotta topped with hanepoot grapes
Those cobwebs are a National Heritage item. Honestly.
The tasting room and adjoining
rooms used to be wine kuipe (concrete wine vats)
Muratie has a lovely view of
Table Mountain over their vineyards. This time, it was almost totally covered
in a huge South Easter tablecloth. We will be back this Saturday for their
Harvest Festival
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
