Winemaker: Pedro Cancela (Dao, Portugal)
Varietals: Encruzado (40%)
Cerceal-Branco (30%)
Malvasia-Fina (30%)
This Portuguese white is surprisingly intense in the nose. As soon as opened the bottle, the aromas of white flowers and citrus fruits hit me right away, almost like a Gewurztraminer in intensity, though not as floral. The palate is fresh, with bright lively flavors of lemon citrus and stone fruits, particularly peach, and floral notes of honeysuckle. The wine has minerality plus a tangy acidity which makes it very food friendly, particularly with seafood. I am not too familiar with Portuguese grapes, but in researching reviews of this wine, I learned the minerality and weight – there is some body to this wine – comes from the Encruzado grape, while the fresh fruitiness comes from the Malvasia-Fina. So this blend is really well put-together.
Even with inflation the good news is there are plenty of good, food-friendly inexpensive wines that don’t have the stigma of “cheap”. This wine is a good example of that. Definitely good with briny seafood like shrimp.
Ed's Wineglass Adventures 