An elegant red from the Lisbon region
As a fluent Portuguese speaker it was the unusual name of this wine that caught my attention whilst browsing the wine shelves at my local Intermarché.
Pintarola, a very coloquial term in Portuguese, would refer to someone who has lots of “pinta” – basically very cool or chic, and then the English name Dandy, also widely used in Portuguese, and the appropriately attired figure of a gentleman also on the label.
The ensemble reminded me of a dear Portuguese friend who is always impeccably turned out and hence something of a Dandy. So I had to buy this wine, costing around €8, and give it a try. And a good find it was – this is very reasonably priced for such a high quality wine, an un-oaked red made from a blend of Touriga Nacional and Syrah, good up front fruit on the nose and medium bodied in the mouth with nicely polished tannins and rich fruity finish.
By Patrick Stuart
