Weekly Winedown #12 Castello D’alba Douro

Anna — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 19:29:31 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. Well, last week was a bit exciting wasn’t it? What I strongly suspected would be dog biscuits turned out to be macarons. BIG WIN. In fact HUGE win. I happily chomped them into this week. Last week also saw an impromptu ‘Winedown’ from York races. If I went more places this would happen more often. I need inviting to wine awards and cocktail shop openings! This week is also pretty exciting, for me. I finally have a recommendation – in a fashion. The wonderful Patricia from White Camellias is lucky enough to reside in warmer, more exotic lands. She suggested that I try a Portuguese wine (she may be a little biased). I hadn’t even thought that Portugal made wine. I mean, everyone makes wine but I thought they just did a lot of Port, that they were good at it and so left it there. But no, it’s not the easiest to come by but I found a bottle and now am REALLY looking forward to it. I’ll admit, I’m going into this expecting that it will be just like Port. I have no cheese though. Mmmmmm port and cheese. Back in the room. This week I am supping Castello D’alba Douro from Portugal. £6.99 from Ocado but the internet tells me I can get it for under £4 a bottle! The label is simple, a bit sexy in fact. Not simple in a CBA way but simple in a ‘what’s inside is so good we don’t need to BA’. It’s confidence is intriguing. The blurb “Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional native grapes / Upper Douro schist soils.” That’s it. No actual blurb. Just a list of grapes and something about shit schist soils! (Schist is a type of rock, you’re welcome). This wine is so sure of itself, it needs no fancy label. It needs no actual description. It’s so #zerofucks it’s uber cool. This wine is either going to be something special or the worst thing to ever pass my lips and trust me, I’ve consumed some crap. Not literally of course. The smell is, once again, vague. This bad boy is giving nothing away. I’m a bit hayfevery but I get pretty much nothing. Just a real hint of smokiness. Like when you walk through a village in autumn and their fires are burning. The taste. OH. MY. WORD. It’s smooth and gentle with a light spiciness. It’s veering toward being full bodied but with no bitterness. I can’t even say it’s fruity because it is but it isn’t. It’s just amazing. Like the wines you get from the local vineyards in the South of France. Sorry Rory. Sorry the kids. I think I just proper fell in love. This wine has arrived in my life at the perfect time. I’ve been in a funk this week. Partly because we’re getting ready to transition to Year 2 (Aoife, not me) and partly just because. This little beaut has cheered me no end. This is a wine I would give to people I really liked. And because it’s so cheap I’d probably send it by the caseload. Name – Castello D’alba Douro 2014 Price – £6.99 but can be sourced at as little as £4 a bottle Colour – The deepest red, like good furnishings. Smell – Smoky. Taste – Smooth with a slight spiciness. Goes well with – Life. Overall score – 5/5 Yes it’s ACTUALLY amazing. Felicidades

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Weekly Winedown #12 Castello D’alba Douro