An Arinto from Pico, an Alfrocheiro from Beira Alta, a sweet Fernão Pires from Almeirim and a half-century-old Frasqueira stood out in a tasting that is unique in Portugal.
Great wines, from renowned names and new authors, were available until Sunday, February 26, at Palácio da Bolsa in Porto. The free tasting of more than 4,000 wines from 400 represented producers is combined with an enviable program of commented tastings that includes renowned headliners.
Founded in 2004, “Essência do Vinho” design and management of events dedicated to wine and gastronomy, including fairs and congredóss, wine and culinary shows, awards and competitions.
Essência also has an internationalization in markets such as Brazil, Angola, France, Switzerland, Holland, Denmark and the United States.
Tasting with an international jury as part of the 19th edition of the Essência do Vinho event.
The stage was the Arab Room of the Palácio da Bolsa and the jury was made up of four dozen specialists – journalists, wine critics, sommeliers and opinion leaders from origins as diverse as Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, USA, Denmark, Mexico, United Kingdom or Ukraine.
A total of around 60 samples were tasted blindly – whites, reds, late harvests and fortified – which obtained high scores in the year just ended among the more than 6,000 samples evaluated by the tasting panel of Revista de Vinhos, the leading wine magazine in Portugal. And the new “TOP 10 Portuguese Wines” consists of three white wines, three reds, three fortified and one late harvest.
Held since 2006 within the scope of the Essência do Vinho – Porto event, the “TOP 10 Portuguese Wines” tasting awarded the following winners this year:
LATE HARVEST
1. Falcoaria Colheita Tardia 2016, Quinta do Casal Branco, Tejo
WHITES
1. Pé do Monte Reserva Arinto dos Açores 2020, Adega do Vulcão, Açores (D.O. Pico)
2. Vinha dos Utras 2020, Azores Wine Company, Açores (D.O. Pico)
3. Quinta da Rede Reserva da Família 2012, Quinta da Rede, Douro
REDS
1. Líquen Alfrocheiro 2020, João Cabral de Almeida Vinhos, Dão
2. Tecedeiras Único 2019, Lima & Smith, Douro
3. Encosta do Sobral Grande Reserva 2019, Encosta do Sobral / Santos & Seixo, Tejo
FORTIFIED
1. Blandy´s Bual 1972, Blandy´s / Madeira Wine Company, Vinho Madeira
2. Sandeman Old Tawny Porto 50 Anos, Sogrape Vinhos, Vinho do Porto
3. Adega de Favaios Moscatel do Douro Colheita 1989, Adega Cooperativa de Favaios, Moscatel do Douro
Source: Revista de Vinhos
