Portuguese Masterclass with Simon Woods

Distinctive, diverse and brilliant value, the table wines of Portugal really should be far better known. We’re aiming to change that with our first ever Portuguese Masterclass.

Now we love port, and Madeira, and both will feature in our Fortified Wine Masterclass on November 24th. But for this tasting, we’re concentrating on the amazing quality of Portugal’s unfortified wines. You will find grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah here, but the most interesting and best of the wines are those made from the local varieties, of which there are more than 250.

No, we won’t be featuring all of them, just the finest ones. So in the reds, there’ll be wines based on Touriga Nacional from the Douro (home of port) and Dão, there’ll be some firm but fragrant Bairrada, made from the Baga grape and there’ll be at least one wine from the Alentejo in which Alicante Bouschet plays a starring role – OK, it’s a French grape, but nowhere else does it like they do here. The Douro, Dão and Bairrada may also feature among the whites. But the line-up will definitely include some Vinho Verde, possibly made from Alvarinho, which you will probably be familiar with from over the border in Spain, albeit with a slightly different spelling.

As with all our masterclasses, there’ll be eight wines with an average price in excess of £25 per bottle – and that goes a long way with Portugal. So do please join us for an exploration of these lovely wines – you won’t be disappointed!