May 16, 2012

Esporao Reserva White

I was able to combine two things that I've wanted to try into one interesting evening: exploring Portuguese wines and trying a new (at least for me) restaurant. Thanks to the organizational skills and somewhat obsessive passions of Jack Brice, I was able to sample a flight of Portuguese red and white wines while enjoying a hearty farm-to-table meal at Legume. The highlights were many, but I settled on the 2010 Esporao Reserva White as this week's pick.

This week's pick is available at your Fine Wine & Good Spirits store for $18.99

Review

You’re probably tiring of me blathering on about food and wine but, really, what other pedestrian pleasures are there in life that can be enjoyed on a daily basis? A long, hot shower? A comfy bed? All right, I’ll grant you those, so let’s narrow it down a bit by asking ‘what earthly pleasure can you enjoy with friends while fully clothed’? Now we’re on the same page!

I recently attended a wine dinner at Legume featuring wines of Portugal where both food and wine were enjoyed in abundance. The Esporao winery hails from the Alentejo region in the south-central part of the country most famously known for the production of cork where the bark is still hand harvested from cork-oak trees (no joke)! Most people associate only fortified wines with Portugal, but they are missing out. There are over 200 indigenous grape varietals that produce some stunning wines. Served with a Stinging Nettles soup (yes that low slung weed with the hypodermic-like needles), the 2009 Esporao Reserva Branco was a standout. Made from a blend of Antão Vaz , Arinto and Roupeiro grapes this wine exhibited notes of tropical fruit, citrus and lightly toasted oak. It is a full-bodied wine with a long finish and perfectly balanced acidity that begged for a comparison to fine whites from Burgundy.

What Others Thought

While the Portuguese language does not exactly "roll off the tongue" this "charmer" made up for it in spades. "Rich " and "sophisticated", this complex white could stand up to the classic French whites retailing at more than twice the price.

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