April Wine Club – A pair of Douro Wines from Portugal

For April’s Wine Club meeting we sampled a couple of Douro wines from Portugal.

Here is the LCBO Information -

MIMO 2005

LCBO 147918
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Wine, Red Wine
12.7% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Douro, Portugal
By: Rui José Xavier Soares
Release Date: Jan 9, 2010

Description - This wine was a Bronze Medal winner at London's prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2009.

Tasting Note - (Translated from the Portuguese) The wine is a blend of several traditional grape varieties. It was fermented in a lagar [a traditional stone trough] and aged for 18 months in barrels. Quite refined on the nose, it has lovely aromas of fresh red fruit and well-integrated oak. The palate reveals a wine of medium concentration and good structure, if not overly complex. Drink now. Score - 16 (out of 20). (Revista de Vinhos, Feb. 2009)

NOTE: Prices subject to change without notice. Prices include container deposit fees where applicable. All products may not be available in all stores. Please see store personnel for details.

QUINTA DO RONCÃO RESERVA 2006

Stock Number – 147942
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 13.95
Wine, Red Wine
14.1% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Douro, Portugal
By: Maria Manuela
Release Date: Jan 9, 2010

Tasting Note - (Translated from the Portuguese) Shows a good aromatic presence with notes of jam and ripe plum, but isn't overloaded with fruit. Full bodied in the mouth, smooth and round; a dry wine with length typical of the Douro. Score - 15.5 (out of 20). (www.revistadevinhos.iol.pt, Undated)

Both of the wines were nice but the Mimo had a slightly bigger mouth feel and a smokiness to it that made it easily worth the extra $4. I wasn’t overly fond of either on there own as both seemed a touch sharp but with the roasted red pepper dip and the different cheeses with crackers both of the wines were very good.

As I was enjoying the wines with the food that Monica (Wine Club member) had brought in, I could see myself enjoying this wine on a warm summer’s night with a mixed grill and look forward to doing exactly that in the up coming months.

Cheers!

Mark