Paula Rego's stories house - first visit

First visit to a place that pretends to show a retrospectiv of Paula Rego's work. Funny building from Souto Moura with a dark orange colour. In interior we can find a small shop a coffee shop and the several Exposition rooms. I've enjoyed the exposition although I think I was expecting some more paitings and drawings from her. Perhaps in a near future.

Quinta da Alorna Touriga Nacional 2007

Clean and dark old rose colour with red fruits still green aroma. Fruits like strawberries. It has also some violets and smoked aromas. With good acidity and long finish. 13%

Quinta da Murta - Bucelas

This was my first visit to Quinta da Murta one of the main estates in Bucelas sub-region. 14 ha of Arinto, Rabo de Ovelha and Touriga Nacional. The harvest is almost done and the wines are already prepared to be made. Hugo Mendes is the headchief of oeneology and is still doing some esays to study the potential of the vineyards. The wines are mainly dry but I still can't give a proper opinion of them. As soon as possible I'll give my opinion to all of them.

KOPKE LBV 2005

It's a very cloudy wine. Dark as tar. It discloses to strong aromas of ripened red fruits. Almost like ended made compote. In the mouth it's still it little hard with livng tannins. It has a very interesting finish.

Kopke Colheita 1989

Clean with an amber colour. We can find distinct aromas like almonds, nuts, lacquer and iodine. It’s full with an excellent acidity and a long finish.

Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2005

Ruby colour with a fruit aroma like pomegranate and blackberries. We can also find some some and spiced ones. It has round tannins, volume and complexity. It’s soft almost velveteen and has long finish. 14%. Wonderful this wine!!! Elegance above all.

Vietti Barbaresco Masseria 2005

Another wine from Vietti. This one is dense and dry. It has lots of red fruits but with four years it’s still much closed. How do they this? We found it with lots of complexity and elegance. It also has a long finish. 14%

Vietti Barbera d' Alba Tres Vigne 2006

Beautiful carmine colour without great opacity. This medium dry wine is very aromatic. We can find aromas like pomegranate, roses, raspberries and vanilla. It has good structure, complexity and good acidity.

Esporão Private Selection 2008

Clear yellow almost turnning green colour with citric aromas. It’s a fresh wine but it’s still a little closed. In the mouth good acidity is noticed, 14%.

Esporão Private Selection 2007

Clean yellow wine, very aromatic with apricot, smoked and vegetal aromas. It’s oily and has good acidity. Very nice finish. 14.5%,

Esporão Private Selection 2006

Clean and dry yellow colour with sweet aromas like honey. It’s also oily and has good acidity. It’s very elegant. 13.5%,

Esporão Private Selection 2004

Beautiful wine from David Baverstock. Old yellow colour it’s a wine still very fresh. Complex and very deep tropical aromas. Well balanced and with good structure. Great finish. 14.5%.

De Puta Madre 2007

Very clean wine with a curry colour. It has toasts, curry, almonds and peanut butter aroma. It hasn’t a soft entrance in the mouth. It almost burnt, but has a great elegance. 15.5% of alcohol.

Benefízio de Pomino Reserva 2006 (Frescobaldi)

Clean wine with a straw yellow colour. It’s still a little closed but citric aromas are noticed. Oily, fresh and with a long finish

Quinta das Marias Encruzado Dão 2008

Clean wine with a very clear green colour. Citric aromas, like rasp and lemon, as well vegetables. Very fresh with good acidity. Some metallic end. Medium end. 14% of alcohol.

Kopke Reserva Branco 2008

Crystalline and clean wine with a soft yellow colour and vanilla aroma. Its oily with acidity a medium end. 13%

Primeira Paixão Verdelho 2008

Beautiful Verdelho from Madeira Island. Clean with citrin aroma mainly rasp. It has a fantastic nose. In the mouth is oily, fresh, balanced and with good acidity. It last forever…

Bridão Clássico 2006

Clear with an evolved ruby colour it has lots of tobacco and matured fruit aromas. In the mouth it’s velvety and has some end.

Bridão Merlot 2005

Has 14% of alcohol and clearly ruby colour. Its aromas are from mature red fruit, vegetable, smoked and in the mouth has structure with strong tannins.

Quinta do Casal Branco 2007

Shinning ruby colour, with lots of green capsicums not only on the nose but also in the mouth. It’s a balanced wine with good acidity and long mouth.

Cinquentenário 2007

Clean with a dark violet colour. Violets jelly and red fruit aromas, It has alive tannins which needs more time in the bottle to be more soft.

Cinquentenário 2008

Clear wooden tones, with vanilla and burnt sugar aroma. It’s also oily, fresh and has good acidity and some structure. Short end

Portas do Tejo 2008

Very clearly green colour. Rasp and sweet aroma. Fresh.

Casa Cadaval Trincadeira 2007 Vinhas Velhas

It’s a spiced wine with lots of red fruits like strawberries and plums. We also notice some capsicums. It has a clear ruby colour and 13% of alcohol. In the mouth is soft, with good structure and elegance-

Casal da Coelheira Reserva 2007

With 13.5% of alcohol it has dark ruby colour ruby. Its aromas are mainly mature red fruits, vegetables and capsicums. Medium/long end.

Casal da Coelheira 2008

Ruby colour without great opacity. It has lots of mature red fruits and jam aromas, some structure without great persistence.

Companhia das Lezírias Reserva 2005

With a very clean dark ruby colour, this wine is very aromatic, mainly capsicums. In the mouth is very soft, structure, complexity and a long end.

Casal da Coelheira Chardonnay 2008

Dry and clean wine with a soft green colour. It has a floral aroma. A noticed structure although with little volume. It has good acidity.

Companhia das Lezírias 2008

Very clearly citric colour as well as citric aroma. It’s a fresh wine with medium/long final.

Companhia das Lezírias Aragonês 2008

A new surprise form this wine company. With 14.5% it has a very dark colour with rich aromas of mature red fruit. It’s very aromatic. Wine with a good structure, volume and well balanced.

Encosta do Sobral Reserva 2005

It’s a clean wine with a dark and concentrated ruby colour. It has aromas of leather, toast, smoke. Being a wine with 14% of alcohol is full, with volume and structure.

Encosta do Sobral 2008

Clean wine with very clearly green colour. It has 13% of alcohol. Drops and vanilla are its aromas. It’s very oily although it has freshness and acidity.

Falcoaria 2006

It’s a clean wine with a dark ruby colour. It has 14.5% of alcohol and green peppers aroma. Its tannins are ruff. Has a medium end.

Herdade dos Templários Garrafeira 2005

With 14% of alcohol it has a dark rub. It has a great nose with red fruit aroma. Lots of cherry brandy. It full, with great volume, complex and very long. What a surprise!!!

Ninfa 2006 Single Vineyard

With 12.5% of alcohol is has a ruby colour and the aromas are very fruity mainly mature red fruits. It has a silky entrance and some end. It needs some more acidity

Vale d' Algares Seleccion 2008

With 14% of alcohol has a clear soft green colour and it’s sufficiently aromatically, mainly green fruits and flowers. It’s oily, fresh and complex. Although denote little acidity.

Quinta da Alorna Reserva 2007 (Touriga Nacional/Cabernet Sauvignon)

It has 60% of Touriga Nacional and 40% of Cabernet Sauvignon. With 14% of alcohol has a dark clean ruby colour which aromas are light mature red fruit, spices, black pepper. It’s round and long. Very nice wine.

Quinta da Alorna Arinto/Chardonnay 2008

With 13.5% of alcohol has very clearly yellow colour and light aromas, fresh, easy to drink and honest.

Quinta do Alqueve Fernão Pires 2008

With 13.5% of alcohol has very clearly yellow colour and it’s full of floral and smoked aromas. It’s a fresh wine with good acidity and oily. It has a short end.
(Top 100 Best Buys from Wine Enthusiast: www.wineenthusiast.com/templates/2009_BestBuy)

Casa das Histórias de Paula Rêgo (Paula Rêgo's stories house)

It will open today in Cascais (Lisbon - Portugal) the place where we can find a permanent exposition of Paula Rego's paintings. Paula Rego as Maria Vieira da Silva, Julião Sarmento or José Guimarães is one the most well known Portuguese artists in the world.

We'll be able to find in 750 m2 around 300 paintings and 200 drawings.

Quinta Nova Reserva 2006 (Douro)

Very clean and dark wine with chocolate, mint, coffee and much black fruits aromas. Some blemishes of tobacco. With 15% of alcohol it’s a spiced wine with an incredible nose. Very nice finish.

Cooper Burns Shiraz/Viognier (Barossa Valley - Australia) 2006

It's a very dark wine with 14.5% of alcohol and primary aromas of black fruit, vanilla and spices. Velvet tannins and a good acidity. Well balanced and with great finish. Russell Burns on his best!!!Great wine from Barossa!!!

CARM Grande Reserva 2005 (Douro)

With 14% of alcohol it's a wine with a dark ruby colour. It has a strong spices aroma as well as black fruit (still green) and blackberries. In the mouth it's a full wine, complex, spiced and with a long end. Very interesting. I'd love to taste it again.

Real Companhia Velha Vintage 1980

It's wine with a darkened aspect and a brownish colour. Iodine, lacquer, dry figs and other indistinct red fruits (eg. cherry)aromas. It's still a wine with some acidity, fat and a good end.