Elegant Portuguese Red - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Elegant Portuguese Red


Winemaker Alvaro Castro in his vineyard. (Photo: Friederike Paetzold)

Alvaro Castro replanted his vines at Saes around the turn of the century; it’s an east-facing vineyard in the foothills of the Serra da Estrella where he and his daughter Maria grow touriga nacional, alfrocheiro, jaen and tinta pinheira for this blend. Fermented without added yeasts and aged in older oak barrels, this is among the most straightforward wines they make, and it showed beautifully in 2018: an elegant red with lovely richness, its melodramatic funk in control, its fruit in blossom–“red plum, violets and rose petals,” as panelist Bruno Almeida described it.

93

Alvaro Castro 2018 Dão Quinta de Saes Tinto

Every week, our editors highlight a wine that intrigued them in our blind panel tastings, expanding on their tasting note in this space. These are entirely editorial choices; there are no paid placements. Subscribers can also access the original tasting note by searching here.

Joshua Greene is the editor and publisher of Wine & Spirits magazine.


This is a W&S web exclusive. Get access to all of our feature stories by signing up today.