João Portugal Ramos is today one of Portugal’s great wine entrepreneurs. It all started in the Alentejo in the 1990s at his Vila Santa winery but he went on, over the years, to develop a winemaking empire that today includes projects in the Minho, Douro, Beiras and Tejo regions.
I’ve written in this column before about the wines from his Douro project Duorum, a joint venture between Portugal Ramos and José Maria Soares Franco of the Setúbal region’s JMF winemaking dynasty.
I had, however, overlooked this entry level white, a wine that costs around €4 in supermarkets and represents outstanding value for money.
This really is summer in a bottle – a light and fruity white made from the typical Douro varieties Viosinho and Rabigato blended with Verdelho, Arinto and Moscatel Galego.
The floral notes of the Moscatel (just 5% of the mix) mix with those of the Verdelho, resulting in exuberant fruit on the nose with the other grapes providing good acidity and freshness in the mouth.
Serve well chilled and enjoy on the terrace with friends.
By PATRICK STUART [email protected]
