Normally on this site, we always try and have a food pairing with our wines, and this is true even with sweet dessert wines.
But sometimes we find a bottle of wine that is so good on its own we forgo a pairing outright and drink it straight. Graham's Six Grapes Reserve NV Port was one such bottle, and with its intense blackberry pie flavor, you can imagine why we enjoyed it solo!
Every so often we come across a bottle of wine where we simply can't find out much about it. Bottles where the grapes are not listed on the label (or even on Vivino), online reviews are few and far between (and rather generic when we find them), and the brand's website appears non-existent, too.
Adaga's Vinho Verde was one such bottle that we received in a mystery box from Plonk Wine Club. As we had misplaced the shipping information and the club no longer carries this one, by the time we opened it we really didn't have much to go on (we had to email the club to find out it is a mix of Arinto, Alvarinho, and Loureiro but that is all we've got).
So while the limited notes from the club were all we've got, we have to admit this one was quite the sipper all the same!
Petit Verdot is one of those grapes we often see only in small percentages in a bottle often because it is late-ripening (at risk of not being fully developed) and adds big color and tannin to the blend.
So when we found Azamor's pure varietal bottle of this one, of course we had to buy it.
But we approached this one with a bit of hesitation since we knew that it could've been an intense tannin bomb. Thankfully, while would still say that the tannins in this one are firmly high, the bottle was rather approachable at seven years old and worked beautifully with a steak!
Uivo Renegado from the Douro Valley of Portugal is an interesting rose wine as it is a field blend of over 25 different grapes including Tinta Barro, Tinta Roriz, Malvasia Fina, Donzelinho, Gouveio, Rabigato, Rufete, and Viosinho to name a few.
The wine is macerated with whole clusters, spontaneously fermented, aged on the lees, and further aged in a mix of old oak and cement tanks.
This all comes together with a wine that has a lot going on, specifically in the aroma department!
It is always a good day when you can crack open a port, and it is an exceptionally good day when that port is worth every penny you paid for it.
Warre's LBV 2002 was just that.
This one is a blend of many grapes including Tinta Cao, Tinta Francisca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), and Tinta Barroca and offered a delightful balance of fruit and tertiary flavors all at a rather respectable price point considering its age.
We had our first bottle of wine from A&D Wines in our Plonk Wine Club order- the stellar Monologo Avesso that was one of the best whites we had that year.
Naturally, when we put in an order for more wine from Plonk a la carte we decided to check out another bottle from this supplier- the Casa do Arrabalde. While this one was a blend of near equal parts of Avesso, Alvarinho, and Arinto, it stacked up being a delicious Portuguese white wine all the same.
We always love trying new grape varietals for this project, and the Portuguese grape Avesso was one such varietal for us.
While A&D Wines Monologo Avesso may be our first for this grape, it most certainly will not be the last. It was a surprising wine in all respects!