I should be on a plane home right now. SISAB ended yesterday with a final round of drinks and a glorious a cappella rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in the hotel lobby. But instead of returning to the frozen hell that is New York City, I decided to hop a train north to Porto, where the spring sun dances off the Douro River, the Francesinha sandwiches clog arteries, and the fortified wines flow thick. A couple lovely importers I met at the trade fair have agreed to let me tag along on their business trip, giving me the chance to explore this nation’s most renowned wine region. While their vineyards are found east of Porto up the Douro, the Port houses—where the wines are aged and bottled—are just across the river in Porto’s sister city, Vila Nova de Gaia.
The a cappella adios to SISAB went too late for me to sleep last night, but I managed to espresso up the energy to tour Poças, the largest Port house still owned by a Portuguese family, rather than a corporation. Pedro Poças Pintão, Sales & Marketing Director, showed us around his family business with the help of Area Manager João Luis Afonso. Inside the Port house, Portuguese oak barrels—over 100 years old and ranging from 550-35,000 liters in volume—contain different styles of Port. Vintage Ports spend 2-3 years in larger barrels, and Late Bottle Vintage Ports see 4-6 years, minimal oxidation preserving the grapes’ dark-fruity characteristics. Tawny Ports, on the other hand, are aged in smaller barrels for at least 3 years, though 10, 20, 30, and 40 Year Old Tawnies, and Colheitas (Single Vintage Tawnies) are given much more time to develop oxidative complexity from the concentrated influence of the porous old wood.
While it was fascinating to see how Poças ages their Ports, we didn’t actually drink any of them today. Port is easily the most famous wine coming out of the Douro (and out of Portugal), but there is a growing number of dry reds which are at least as noteworthy as their sweet older sisters. After we toured Poças, Pedro and João grabbed a bottle of red and a bottle of white, and drove us to Cantina 32 for lunch. The red, Poças Vale de Cavalos Douro 2012—a single-estate blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Barroca—offers a nose reminiscent of plums, violets, and black cherries. The palate features wild blueberry and blood orange tones with a hint of rose petals, and the finish is elegant and long. Vale de Cavalos went down superbly with my Francesinha, the favorite sandwich of Porto and an expression of culinary decadence (steak, sausage, ham, and cheese bathed in a tomato and beer sauce) that could put to shame the most hedonistic American gourmand. The wine, despite being full-bodied and low-acid, remains subtle thanks to its soft, dextrous tannins—you could also pair this with a pumpkin and orange soup, or raspberry-marinated pork.
Visit Poças online at http://pocas.portugalwines.org/
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