The Apolónia wine fair started last Friday, September 10 and runs until September 27 with great bargains to be bagged. The huge collection of wines on offer at Apolónia is unequalled in its depth and breadth of choice covering all of Portugal’s regions along with wines from around the world. And during the wine fair, over 250 of the 2,000 plus wines are on offer with discounts of between 10% and 50%.
The stand-out bargain of the fair in my opinion is this outstanding organic Touriga Nacional varietal red from Quinta do Cardo in the Beira Interior region.
Touriga Nacional typically produced wines of great body and strength of flavour with bold tannins, wines that need time.
Quinta do Cardo, tucked away at over 500 metres altitude in the foothills of the Serra de Estrela Mountains, South of the Douro and close to Spanish border, produces a range of impressive wines that always stand out for the elegance, and this wine is indeed an elegant take on Touriga Nacional.
Normally priced at €14.99, it represents very good value for money, but with 50% off at €7.49 it is not to be missed. The wine on offer is from the 2016 vintage and it is ready for drinking, the tannins softened by 20 months in oak and further cellar ageing before release, but my advice is to buy a box and lay it up as this wine will no doubt age beautifully for at least another 5 years. All of the trademark Touriga Nacional traits are there, strong fruit flavours such as blueberries, plums and blackberries accentuated by notes of dark chocolate and violet. The oak is well integrated in a wine that sits on the lighter side of the full-bodied style usually associated with this grape.
