Portugal’s white Burgundy beaters

Readers will know that I’ve been a great champion of Portuguese white wines, which have improved so much in the last decade when perhaps eyes have been more focused on the country’s reds.

For a feature on the topic for UK on-trade magazine Imbibe, I spoke with a number of restaurateurs and sommeliers who are similarly smitten. And for much the same reason.  To quote the co-founder of my favourite tapas bar, Trangallan’s Xabier Álvarez-Valdés, ‘Portuguese wines have a great mix of character, expression of origin, food friendliness and affordability.’

As for Matthieu Longuere, Master Sommelier and head sommelier at Chiswick’s Michelin-starred La Trompette, for lovers of ‘low-key mineral white Burgundy’, he thinks that Portugal’s most expensive whites from the Douro, Dão, or Bairrada are ‘much better’ than similarly priced village Burgundies.  Filipa Pato’s hot off the press 2012 FP Branco and Nossa Calacario (pictured) which I just sampled on Friday are a brilliant case in point.

You can read the feature here, which I strongly recommend, because it gives you the heads up on a range of restaurants – from gastropub to Michelin-starred – with an exciting selection of Portuguese wines.  Additionally, tips from the top on matching Portuguese whites wines with food.

Foodies may also want to watch this space for a report of my forthcoming interview with Michelin-starred Viajante’s Portuguese chef-patron Nuno Mendes.  He and his head sommelier Christophe Richelet have been working up the restaurant’s Portuguese wine list.