The Magic of Portugal
Primarily known for Port Wines, Portugal has many
styles of wine, from light and refreshing to full bodied.
June 28, 2015
Thank You Silver Coast
Future Chapter Events
 July
No Meeting
 Aug 30th
National Wine Tasting Project
 Sep 27th
QVC Wine
 Oct 25th
Virginia Wines by Mary Lou and Jeffery Salter
 November
 Dec 7th
No Meeting
Wine Dinner
Membership Survey 2015
Ocean Isle Beach Chapter
COMMENTS
***Suggestions: Name tags - printed once for members, left in box, member picks up
at the beginning of meeting and returns to box at end. Visitor will have a "sticky"
name tag. Stan, you often talk to your left side of the room when presenting
information. You have your back to your right side of the room. Just an observation.
***Good, often extremely well. I have been introduced to wines I never would have
thought to taste. For example, Kosher wines.
***Stan and Tess do an amazing job!
***Stan, you and Tess have developed a first-rate Chapter. Thank you!
The acoustics in the meeting room are awful. Could we look into getting a mic? Or,
reconfigure the tables so that the speaker is always facing the audience (?)
***We have been well educated in wines since we started attending the meetings.
***Might be able to cut back to nine if there were no August meeting.
***Either current schedule or 8 per yr (eliminate another summer month and a big holiday mont
COMMENTS
Some are outstanding, others only good. But, I've learned to like some types of
wines I previously had avoided.
We appreciate the diversity of the wines and the variety of themes.
Given the $$$ constraint, the wine selections have been great.
All of the wines tasted so far have been outstanding. Very few are disliked, but that
is expected.
The selection of wines have always been outstanding.
COMMENTS
In our opinion a larger group would not add any value.
I prefer to keep our meetings at the current size. I think larger meetings would
become unwieldy and somewhat impersonal. Perhaps we should limit attendance to
members who respond and pay within a certain time period before we allow guests.
However, I realize that we may have more members than we can accommodate if we
keep attendance at 40ish. Therefore, I would support buying more wine if absolutely
necessary. (I'm not comfortable with the fact that people could pay to be AWS
members and get closed out of meetings.)
Pay at the door.
Direct bank transfer (?) Bank of America (and probably most of the other big online
banking services) allow funds to be transferred in a variety of ways including by
email.
Like the current cash system prior to or at the time of the event
COMMENTS
I think Stan does a great job of providing a variety of great wines. I
would prefer to repeat varieties from well known places (e.g. Italy,
California), rather than stretching with wines from less successful
regions like southern states.
I like them all!!!
= WINO!
[from someone who, like 70% of the other respondents,
chose the Will Rogers response: “I’ve never met a wine
that I didn’t like (or at least drink)” ]
MAXIMUM Cost pp for Wine Dinner
Total responses =19
2 $40/pp
9 $50/pp
3 $60/pp
5 $75/pp
1 “open”
Several commented that the cost should parallel the quality of the
wines/food
Virginia, Australia with ostrich and kangaroo, Argentinian or Australian with lamb. There are
several area chefs who could be hired to prepare or hire a club house. Maybe, First Tee
facility..has great kitchen.
Vertical tasting = 2 responses
Focus on more regional wines. There are many good wines available in various states.
Encourage members to suggest these wines for tasting.
Washington State, summer wines.
NC = 2 wines of north carolina
I would be glad to do a taste sometime in the future. We have been to France several times
and know Bordeaux well enough to do a knowledgeable taste.
German/Austrian White Wines
May have already been done but tight region tastings ie Russian River, areas of Canada (if they
even make wine)
Tasting of the same varietal from different regions
another region in Italy - ie Veneto or Puglia or Piedmonte
Rotate the responsibility among members
Food
Providing Food Pairings for the Wine Tastings
All members sign up for rotating teams. I don't think people realize
how much work Stan and Tess do.
I love the Food Pairings. I suggest we rotate this task via a signup sheet. If
members take responsibility for one item, we would probably be responsible
only a few times a year. (I prefer this over hors d'oeuvres at Meet and Greet.)
Would be interested in helping with the hors d'oeuvre and serving when needed.
The Magic of Portugal
Portugal’s Wine History
 Grapes have been grown for 4000 years.
 The Phoenicians probably introduced winemaking to the south, and the Romans
spread vine cultivation and winemaking further upcountry as they drove out the
northern Celts.
 Christianity arrived in the second century AD, incorporating wine into its
ceremonies.
 Winemaking thrived, until falling foul of Muslim prohibitions.
 In the 15th C, England, a political and military ally, was a thirsty customer, turning to
Portugal for its wine supplies during periods of conflict with France.
 After World War II - over 100 co-operatives were built throughout Portugal during
the 50s and 60s.
 Portugal joined the EU in 1986.
Wine Regions of Portugal
 14 wine regions
 Diverse terroir from
north to south and
east to west.
 Wine styles abound
Wine Designations
DOC or DOP (Protected Designation of Origin)
DOP applies to wine products with originality
and individuality due to an inextricably link to
a particular region, place or traditional
denomination with specific characteristics
deriving from the local terroir (geographic
environment, natural and human factors).
These wines are subject to strict rules of
control in order to guarantee authenticity
and quality and can be labelled as DOC.
Protected Designations of Origin for
European wines are included in a European
Union register.
Wine Designations cont.
IG or IGP (Protected Geographical Indication)
IGP applies to wines from a specific region
named on the label, produced with at least
85% of grapes of that region. Like DOP/DOC
wines, they are subject to strict rules of
control.
These wines can be labelled as “Vinho
Regional”. Protected Geographical Indication
for European wines are included in a
European Union register
Vinho Wine
Wine not fitting into the above categories is simply known as ‘Vinho’.
They must comply with National and European Union regulations.
2013 Verdelho Herdade do Esporão
This latest vintage is an impressive Verdelho. It is the
producer’s best yet. It has warm, ripe apricot and
pear flavors that are intense and generous. The soft,
rich texture is cut by nervy acidity that gives the wine
fine balance.
2012 Delaforce Alvarinho
Appearance: Clean, clear and bright pale yellow
color.
Nose: Fruity Aromas tempting floral notes.
Mouth: The combination of fruity aromas and a
palate highlighted by crisp acidity and flavorful
minerality make this Alvarinho a classic example
of the variety.
2013 Chrysalis Albariño Verde
This is Chrysalis Vineyards’ newest wine, an
homage to the Vinho Verde wines of Portugal.
When made with Albariño (or Alvarinho as it’s
known in Portugal) it’s called Vinho Alvarino and
is known as the “premium” variety for this style.
This style of wine is characterized by its light and
crisp texture, intense fruit, and slight
effervescence.
Esporão Private Selection White 2012
Ripe citric and tropical fruit aromatics combining with
complex white chocolate and toasty oak notes.
It has a well balanced palate with a elegant and
persistent long finish.
Crystal clear, straw color.
Americo Vinho Tinto Red 2008
This red wine is made with the noble
varieties of grape from the Dao region.
It presents an intense ruby color along
with a rich nose. The wine pairs well
with soft cheeses.
2011 Luis Pato Colheita Seleccionada
Deep ruby red. Menthol and dark red
fruits on the nose. Firm tannins, medium
bright acidity on the palate which
echoes the nose.
Enjoy it now with gamey meats or hard
cheeses.
Regional wine made from a blend of
Baga and Touriga Nacional grapes.
2009 Quinta dos Aciprestes Douro Tinto
Mocha and baker's chocolate are the
dominant flavors in this muscular red,
which offers focused accents of hot stone,
with Bourbon vanilla notes, that have a
creamy allure. The plush finish is long and
rich.
2011 Lemos And Van Zeller Port Quinta
Vale Dona Maria
"Deeply flavored, ripe and richtasting, with a seductively spicy
aroma and concentrated flavors of
raspberry, boysenberry, wild plum
and cherry. The minerality in the
finish lingers.
WS 96 points.
“My books are like water;
those of the great geniuses
are wine. (Fortunately)
everybody drinks water.” –
Mark Twain
Till next month...be good, behave
and be well.
Godspeed and Best Wishes
everyone!!