Diana Thompson on Wine – Portugal

In a new feature for Tom's Food! award winning wine expert and writer Diana Thompson has agreed to contribute an occasional series of articles. This month she is in Portugal, ahead of next week's Wines of Portugal Fair in Edinburgh

Home to 250 indigenous grape varieties, Portugal produces wines from tip to toe of this beautiful country.  I recently had the pleasure of visiting Quinta do Ameal in Vinho Verde, the region up in the very north, bordering Spain.

Historically it was almost unheard of to make premium quality wines up here, as

Ameal’s winemaker Mafalda Magalhães says they were all “gas and sugar”. In short, the wines were cheap, had high acidity and to make them more palatable they tended to be off dry with an injection of carbon dioxide to add some refreshing bubbles. Ameal set out to change things in the 90’s, converting the once 30-hectare cow farm to vineyards and demonstrate the true potential of Vinho Verde.  15 hectares of vineyards were planted and dedicated to the Loureiro grape which originates from this region.  Being close to the River Lima the soil is alluvial, producing grapes with plenty of character and richness.

The four main wines in the range consist of the entry level Bico Amarelo which is a white blend of different varieties and retails for under £10.  The fruit for this wine is brought in from neighbouring properties. It’s a wine offering plenty of freshness and underlying ripe tropical fruit and hints of herbs.

The next wine is Ameal Loureiro which is where the aromatic Loureiro grape variety comes into play.  Ameal Loureiro (retailing around £13), similarly to Bico Amarelo is made in stainless steel and is a richer more grown-up style whilst still keeping the freshness and attractive aromatics. There’s also a touch of bay leaf, a classic characteristic of Loureiro and how this grape variety got its name.

A step up is the Ameal Reserva which is where these beautiful Austrian Foudres come into play, giving a touch of spice and cedar to a full bodied style of wine, yet still retaining elegant freshness. The Reserva retails for retailing around £13-£14.

Finally, in this quartet, is the simply stunning Solo Único, which interestingly, is produced in square concrete tanks.  The alternative would be the classic concrete eggs but this shape creates a natural movement in the wine which doesn’t happen with the square tanks and thus the latter produces softer, more balanced wines.  Solo Único has a beautiful elegance to it, similar to a Riesling.  The soil where these vines are planted is more fragmented granite, leading this intense, yet elegant, wine together with the hallmark aromatic character of Loureiro.  This retails for just over £20.

These wines have the acidity and characteristics which allow them to age beautifully. I was treated to some older vintages and would definitely recommend the classic tactic of buying a case and enjoying one bottle every year.

Esporão, one of the leading wine companies in Portugal purchased Ameal in 2019. The company is continuing to bring these wines to the centre stage, highlighting just what Vinho Verde together with Loureiro is capable of. With Esporão it’s all about nature, biodiversity & sustainability. Whilst apart from Ameal’s Reserva vineyard, the others aren’t organic due to the climate.  However, all these wines are made as naturally as possible and it's not surprising that they’re surrounded by plenty of wildlife and nature.

Not only is Ameal producing some interesting wines, but they’re having fun experimenting too. Wherever you look in this winery there’s a small keg, barrel or container lurking in a corner or hidden behind a barrel holding something Mafalda is up to. I’m particularly excited about the sparkling wine which is due to be launched next year.

Time will reveal the next big excitement, but as they say at Esporão, “SLOW FORWARD”.

Learn more at the Wines of Portugal Wine Fair on Wednesday 30 October in the Assembly Rooms, George Street, Edinburgh when there will be a showcase of 25 producers.  It’ll be a fantastic opportunity to discover more about Portugal and the chance to taste hundreds of wines.  Tickets are just £30, available from Wine Events Scotland.