This month for Wine Club we examined two red wines from the Alentejo region of Portugal. The 2007 Esporão Reserva was recommended to me by my local vintages rep. and it was the take home bottle for Wine Club this month. I needed a comparison bottle; usually I like something from the same area or the same grape. As the Esporão is a blend, I decided to go with another red from the same area. The only other Portuguese red from the Alentejo region my local LCBO had in stock was a bright pink labeled bottle called “Sexy”. I had my doubts about “Sexy” but since it was just the comparison bottle I thought ‘What the heck, let’s give “Sexy” a try!’
Here is the LCBO Information -
ESPORÃO RESERVA RED (V)
Vintages # 606590
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 25.95
Wine, Red Wine
14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Alentejo, Portugal
By: Fingara
Release Date: May 15, 2010
Description - Made from a blend of Aragónes (aka Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon and the local Trincadeira grape, this wine is a very modern take on Portugal. Dark, dense and very fruity, it has pronounced flavours and aromas of mixed berries, new leather, coconut and spice. Boisterous and approachable, it has a New World-meets-Old World style and makes a great companion to barbecued or grilled Angus beef steaks or gourmet sausages.
FITA PRETA SEXY TINTO 2008
Vintages # 144485
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 18.95
Wine, Red Wine
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Alentejo, Portugal
By: Fita Preta Vinhos Lda.
Release Date: Dec 11, 2010
Tasting Note - Deep ruby in the glass with a provocative bouquet of sweet red fruits, intense blackberry, and a hint of black licorice. Dry, medium bodied and made in an appealing, fruit-forward style that does not sacrifice the overall balance. Smooth, seductive finish. Perfect for a quiet evening with friends over a roast leg of lamb or some roast beef. (VINTAGES panel, April 2010)
The Esporão had an interesting nose of Blackberry, Licorice, Black Currant and Cedar. Tasting the wine I found it to be a touch tannic but with rich flavours of dark cherry, mint and leather. I liked this wine but felt it needed a couple of years down to soften the tannin. One of our Wine Club member’s brought in spicy sausage in tomato sauce with various types of breads to go with it. The Esporão with the sausage was very good as the food neutralized the tannin and this wine just came to life.
The “Sexy” had a big easy to find nose that was dominated with Blueberry and Spice with some oak in the back ground. Tasting the wine I was pleasantly surprised; very soft and approachable wine with soft tannin though lacking a bit in acidity. The main flavour to the wine was strawberry. With the food this wine got lost at times but was a decent pairing never the less. This wine is more of a drink now and doubt aging it would add much to it.
Wine Club was split on preference between the two wines, though most people preferred the Sexy on its own and the Esporão with the food. I like to thank Dorie for bringing in the food as it was very good and made a great pairing with the wines.
I will be putting my bottle of Esporão down for a few years and am very much looking forward to trying it again in the future. As for Sexy, there is a part of me that is tempted to pick up another bottle or two as it was quite good for the price and with its bright pink bottle and the name, it might make an interesting Valentine’s Day gift.
Next month we will be looking at two very different Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand.
Cheers!
Mark
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