Portugal, the powerhouse of fortified wine, is once again experiencing a golden age, but this time it’s the quality of its table wines rather than its port that is exciting wine buyers. We’re seeing a lot more of the country’s wines on our high streets, and rightly so because Portugal has everything. With more than 250 native grape varieties to explore, a winemaking tradition to rival any European country’s and an offering that ranges from young, spritzy whites in the north to deeply satisfying, unctuous sweet wines in the south, via some soft rich reds, it will satisfy even the most finicky of oenophiles.
Gone are the days of inconsistent wines. New equipment, new estates and a clutch of very competent producers make it feel as if it’s a new world winemaking country dropped at the edge of Europe. Affordability is where it excels, and Majestic’s LB7 range is a case in point: its 2022 Vinho Verde (10 per cent, £8.99) brims with zesty green fruit, while the 2022 Casa Ferreirinha Planalto Reserva (13 per cent, £9.99), a blend of seven grape varieties, is packed full of zesty citrus. Or take Sainsbury’s silky and smooth 2022 Taste the Difference Lisboa (13.5 per cent, £7.50), a hugely consistent wine with abundant dark fruit and spice.
Good value doesn’t have to mean cheap. The Wine Society’s 2022 Pedra a Pedra Branco from the Douro (11.5 per cent, £13.50), a crisp, tangy white, perfectly demonstrates the huge leap in quality that Portuguese whites have taken in recent years. Another region on the up is the Dão in the north, where the vines are sheltered by mountains and planted on granite soil. They produce elegant, expressive reds made primarily from the old port grape touriga nacional, as well as a small number of increasingly crisp, light whites.
2020 Torre de Ferro Reserva (13.5%)
Lidl, £7.49
This cracking-value red is ideal for barbecues and casual meals. It’s supple and uncomplicated, with succulent dark fruit.
2021 The Wine Atlas Jaen Dão (13%)
Asda, £7
Made from the little-known jaen grape, this silky, medium-bodied red has plenty of ripe, dark cherry and a pleasing juicy finish.
2023 Maria Fadista Vinho Verde (8.5%)
The Sunday Times Wine Club, £8.99 or £6.99 in a mix of six
A classic zesty vinho verde, exploding with citrus. Ideal for summer.
2023 Loved & Found Cerceal (12.5%)
Waitrose, £8.99
Produced in the south of the Dão at high altitude from the cerceal grape, this crisp dry white has plenty of vitality.
2021 Crasto Douro (13.5%)
The Wine Society, £11.95
A wonderful, fragrant red with black berries and dark fruity aromas, finishing with a blast of dry, savoury flavour.
2022 Quinta de la Rosa Reserva (12.5%)
Berry Bros & Rudd, £20.50
Made from a blend of native grape varieties, this is a fresh, citrussy white with a smooth finish.
Bargain of the week
2022 Bordeaux AOP
France (13.5%)
Lidl, £5.29
There has been a glut of reds in Bordeaux and this claret is oaky, smooth — and ridiculously cheap.