When thinking of a high-quality red to enjoy with a top steak, a good Rioja is an excellent choice.
But Spain’s Rioja reds are made mostly and usually exclusively from the Tempranillo grape, which here in Portugal goes by the name of Tinta Roriz up north and, just to confuse us, Aragonês in the Alentejo. And some of the better Tinta Roriz/Aragonês varietals made in Portugal can give many a great Rioja a run for their money.
The wine I am talking about here is far from cheap, costing €31.95 and new in at Apolónia, but had I paid top dollar for one of those premium, dry-aged Spanish steaks at the same supermarket’s butcher counter to be slowly grilled on the BBQ at home, I would certainly be looking for a worthy wine to wash it down with.
This wine, Beyra Tinta Roriz Vinha de Santa Maria 2018, really impressed. It is made by Rui Roboredo Madeira, the man who makes excellent wine in the upper Douro, under the CARM label, and also owns the Beyra winery in the Beira Interior region, south of the Douro, in the hills near the Spanish border.
This wine is only made in exceptional years and is a rich and full-bodied red with mature upfront fruit on the nose along with hints of spice and liquorice. In the mouth, there is well integrated oak giving full but well-rounded tannins and deep black fruit flavours with a dry and very long finish. Outstanding.
