Discover The Wines of Portugal:
More Than Just Port

Join us as we explore the wine regions of Portugal, from the Minho in the north to the Alentejo in the south, and discover what this country has to offer.

Aliança is a dynamic private company at the leading edge of modern Portuguese winemaking. Our entrance wine, Aliança Vinho Verde, is from the Costa Verde or Minho region, Portugal’s own Northwest. We will be among the first to taste one of the freshest Vinho Verdes in Seattle, from the 2005 harvest.

Over the mountains, in the arid Trás-Os-Montes area in the northeast, one find great values in old-vine red wines. The Aliança Terra Boa Old Vines comes from 80-year-old vines which struggle in the hard, granite soil, producing rich and flavorful wines. Next we have the Aliança Foral Douro Grande Escolha. This “grand selection,” a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca grapes, is one of this producer’s best Douro wines.

Traveling south from the Douro we come to the Dão, where top-quality producers such as Quinta dos Roques and Quinta das Maias define Portuguese varietals. To increase quality and winemaking control, they have broken with the traditional approach of inter-planting red and white varietals in the vineyard. We will try a varietal, the Quinta das Maias Jaen made from Tinta Mencia grapes, followed by a magnificent blend, the 2000 Quinta dos Roques Collector’s Reserva.

Next door to the Dão, the Bairrada stretches west to the Atlantic. From this region, we will be tasting Luis Pato’s legendary 1988 Bairrada, made from the challenging Baga grape. Aged in old chestnut, it is a huge wine that seems to last forever.

The Alentejo region stretches from Lisbon south to the Algarve. Here we find Cortes de Cima, a winery which has been called the best producer in the Alentejo by the Wine Spectator. We will try their 2001 Cortes de Cima. Its emphasis on Syrah in the blend is a reflection of an increasing influence of Australian styles and varietals in this region.

We wrap up the evening with a fine 1989 Porto Rocha Colheita Tawny Port from a small Portuguese house in Vila Nova de Gaia established in 1850. This single-vintage Tawny has been aged in casks a minimum of seven years before bottling. Its finish leaves a great toasty warmth.

Providing the food accompaniments for our program is Samba Brazilian Restaurant in Maple Leaf. Brazilian cuisine is a blend of Portuguese, African and native Indian influences and nobody blends them better than Sam Hassan at his welcoming, family-run restaurant (9400 Roosevelt Way NE. 206-957-1333, sambaseattle.com). To bring out the best in his native cuisine, Brazilian-born Hassan features many Portuguese wines on his own wine list and he has chosen a wonderful selection of dishes to pair with our wines.

We are pleased to welcome back Bernice and Todd Cromwell of Wineworth Importers to lead our April program. They have over 25 years of experience with Portuguese wines, and Todd is one of very few Americans to be granted honorary membership in the Confraria do Vinho do Porto, an exclusive wine education society in Portugal, for his significant contributions to the understanding of Portuguese wines. Their previous programs for us sold out so make your reservations soon.

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