Portugal: 'wines of the moment'

Quinta de la Rosa

Douro Valley

Quinta de Fafide Reserva 2013 (Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, 14% abv) - Fairly serious and concentrated, towards 'modern style' red with ripe berries and spice, firm but nicely textured tannins with a touch of oak. Marks & Spencer £10...

Quevedo Late Bottled Vintage Port 2006 (Touriga Nacional 30%, Touriga Franca 25%, Tinta Roriz 15%, Tinto Cão 5%, Tinta Barroca 5%, other 20% from Quinta Vale d’Agodinho, Trovisca, Mós; bottled July 2011, 19.5% abv, 106 g/l residual sugar (RS)) - Tasty mix of chunky powerful vs savoury mature with sweet dried fruits vs light grip and oomph. £10 half-bottle, £13.50 75cl different vintage: Wine-Boutique, Naked Wines.

Quinta de la Rosa 2009 Vintage Port (mainly Touriga Nacional,Touriga Franca, Souzão and Tinta Roriz from their older dry-stone terraced vineyards; bottled June 2011; 20% abv, 91 g/l RS) - Still pretty dense and youthful, packed with sunny damson and black cherry fruit with savoury and smoky tobacco edges, rich and sweet but nicely toned by integrated tannin / kick of alcohol. Delicious now but will keep and improve for a good few years yet. JN Wine ships QR wines in Ireland (North & South). €15 half-bottle cellar door: more on that trip to Qta. de la Rosa HERE.

Lisboa

Vidigal 'Porta 6' red 2013 (Tinta Roriz, Castelão, Touriga Nacional; 13.5% abv) - Very nice mix of spicy dark berry fruit and a hint of oak, full bodied yet reasonably soft. Grange Wines Holywood £8.99.

Madeira

Blandy's 10 Year Old Verdelho 'medium-dry' (19% abv) - Expensive but full of complex aromas and flavours, seems fairly dry really with Brazil/hazelnut notes, rich yet tangy finish. Grange Wines Holywood £19.99 50cl.

Henriques & Henriques Full Rich Madeira (17% abv) - Good-value dark sweet style Madeira, full of Christmas pudding, raisin and baked walnut flavours. Pour some over simple vanilla ice cream. £7 Sainsbury's half-bottle.