Portugal’s reasonably priced white wines are winning deserved new interest, said Pamela S. Busch in SFExaminer.com. Though loureiro, arinto, and other Portuguese varietals are “not exactly displacing chardonnay as the next ‘it’ grape,” several ambitious producers these days are “making aromatic, spry wines.”
2011 Anselmo Mendes Muros Antigos Escolha ($14). Hints of tangerine and white peaches make this piquant vinho verde “the perfect springtime white.”
2011 Quinta de la Rosa Douro White Wine ($15). This fragrant, medium-bodied blend of codega and ribeiro offers flavors of “juicy nectarine and grapefruit.”
2011 Filipa Pato Vinho Branco ($16). Thank rising-star vintner Filipa Pato for this “vibrant, mineral-driven” blend of bical and arinto.
