Portuguese Wine 101: Douro Valley
The Douro Valley allows over 80 different grape varieties to be used in Port wine production. 80! What other region allows for that many grapes? That is a country-sized number, not region-sized! And there is no Cabernet! In addition to being one of the most eclectic wine regions, the Douro Valley is one of the most scenic in the world. It is amazing. There is the Douro River and its tributaries that have carved these valleys into granite and schist. This is a region that speaks to time in a way that mountains speak to time. There are winding terraced slopes that, in some bends and turns, the forests have reclaimed. This is a place where the expression “a photo is worth a thousand words” fails—no images truly capture the magic of this place. I wish I was a poet right now.
The region is not as successful as it was a century ago—people don’t drink Port like they used to, which is a shame; it is better now than it has ever been, but the world has changed. And the Douro Valley is changing with it. 70 years ago, there was only one dry red wine being made in the region. Now more and more producers are making better and better dry red wines. You know it is a region with dry red wine potential when the Bordelais look for partnerships there! This is an extreme place to grow grapes. In fact, there is an Iberian saying (mostly Portuguese, but I have heard it used in Spain too) that there are nine months of winter and three months of hell—it gets hot here in the summer! One of the benefits of having such a large diversity of grapes to make wine with is flexibility. Most regions around the world are concerned with climate change, but very few are as capable of dealing with it as the Douro, and able to do so without losing their core identity.
The reds wines from this region are mostly blends of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta, Roriz, Tinta Cao, and Tinta Barroca. We can try to make one-to-one comparison of the Bordeaux grapes, but it really doesn’t work. Like Bordeaux blends, these reds are powerful and structured. Another comparison that I like to make, and it is more of a fruit profile and energy comparison, is to Priorat, where climate, topography, and soils have much in common with Douro. Douro reds are mountain wines. The river mediates the temperatures, but these are solid aromatic wines. With vibrant fruit tones, wild herbs and flowers, and, of course, minerality. Douro reds thrive at the table when they are used like a Bordeaux, but they are generous, complex, and exuberant like Priorat.
2018 Niepoort "Redoma" Tinto Douro Portugal $39.99 Niepoort is an old Port wine family. Dirk Niepoort is one of the most important winemakers in Portugal. He is a fifth-generation winemaker, and it is not an oversimplification to say we would not be talking about dry Douro wines if it were not for him. He is the maverick that started us down this path. He was one of the first to innovate with organics and biodynamics. And he is generally curious about wine and makes wines from all over Portugal (and the world too!). Redoma is a blend from several old-vine vineyards in the Cima Corga region of the Douro. They are located in the Pinhão valley, a tributary of the Douro and a wine region to pay attention to. The vines are about 70 years old and is a field blend. Fermentation with native yeast in a stainless steel lagar (a traditional Iberian vessel). It was then aged 22 months in used barrels of various sizes to achieve a vibrant, structured, and powerful wine. The aromatics are a wonderful mix of dark and red fruits, herbs, and flowers. Structured and driving, the power of this reminds me more of Napa maountain fruit (the dark fruits make me think of Howell). This just needs something rich to eat with it. This hits all the pleasure centers and it also acts as a lens into Port wine. It is here we can see that power that lets those wines age gracefully for so long.
2020 Conceito Tinto Douro $44.99 The Ferriera Marques estate is in the Douro Superior subregion of the valley. This is the most interior corner of the valley, very close to the Spanish border. To be more specific it is in the Teja River Valley, a tributary of the Douro, 10km south of the Douro River itself. They are in a very isolated corner of the Douro Superior in one of the coolest areas in the entire valley. The valley not only benefits from cooler temperatures, but the bedrock is at a point of transition between schists and granite and helps bring a degree of freshness that is uncommon. Their vineyards are field blends which they farm organically. The Conceito is their flagship wine, and it is a blend of more than 20 varietals. The winemaking is minimal intervention with native yeasts and then it is aged for 20 months in used French oak barrels. Conceito is fresh, subtle, and elegant. The wine is captivating; it jumps out of the glass with an aromatic profile that is elegant and seductive. On the palate it is dense and driving. It is engaging and delicious.