I thought I might drink the only bottle of Portuguese red wine I have in my cellar, to celebrate the publication of my detailed article on the Douro Valley, published in this month's Gourmet Traveller Wine. This is the 2013 Quinta Nova Mirabilis Grande Reserva Tinto. It comes in an unusual bottle shape, similar to wine bottles from the 18th century - or maybe it is hard to get away from Port. Serious red table wine production in the Douro Valley is just over 20 years old. However, the grapes going into this wine can be up to 100 years old. They come from many indigenous varieties. Interestingly, this wine does not include any Touriga Nacional, which is Portugal's most famous grape variety. You can learn more about the different grape varieties from my article.
This wine is full-bodied and quite ripe, but manages to be quite elegant all the same. The flavours are black cherry and dark chocolate, but the wine surprisingly is not very expressive. There is enough acidity to keep the wine alive for a number of years. The finish falls a little flat.
Score: 90/0
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