WTN: `08 Quinta do Portal Branco, Douro.
Blend of Moscatel, Viosinho and Malvasia Fino, $24 Cdn, 13.5% alc.
Color is a deep straw with faint lemon hints. On the nose, spice, pear, floral, melon. I think many expect whites from Portugal to be all dry....big mis-conception! Palate showed some spice and tropical fruit tones. Crisp, long finish, always like the moscatel in my whites. Good acidity, well-balanced wine.
Here is a CARM TN I posted last year, another nice white from the region.....>
WTN: `07 Douro Branco Reserva, Casa Agricola Roboredo Madeira.
13% alc, good natural cork, $23 Cdn. Opened one hour, serve at just above room temperature. A Crasto white I had served in the past too chilled revealed very little true character.
Grapes include Codega, Rabigato. I think this might be organic, not sure.
Food. Pan-fried Pickerel fillets in a parsley butter sauce.
Oven-roasted Sea-Bass steak with a ginger, fennel seed crust.
Color. Medium to deep lemon.
Nose. Some floral and herbal waxy tones. Some passion fruit, citrus, hint of creamyness. Nose did not evolve much after 2 hours.
Palate. Full-bodied with a creamy long finish, white stone fruits. Noted some small bubbles on base of my glass. Anastasia thought "some exotic fruit here..clean...dried herbs". Mineral element here, red-skinned apple and hint of oak seemed to work better with the pickerel. I found the sea-bass was way too moist for complete enjoyment, where was this fish from?
A very enjoyable wine from the Douro but not the greatest of food-wine matchups. Maybe choose some different fish next time?