WGGW Tasting Lab - Bottle #5

May 29

To Chill Or Not To Chill

Quinta Do Portal Red Blend

Chillable Reds - is this a thing?

To be honest, I’m not sure. In the past few weeks, I had the pleasure of working with one of my (platonic) wine crushes, David Guimaraens, from Portugal. Before he arrived at an account dinner I organized, I set up a display of what we would be tasting that evening. He headed over to my carefully placed magnums/table runners/all other pretty things to hopefully enhance the evening - and threw his wine in the ice buckets: my stomach soon hit the floor. All fortified wine, all older vintages, all room temperature - but he needed this other step I didn’t think of. As we tasted through them during the dinner, they came alive with that slight chill.

Cellar temperature seems to scare the American palate. I remember being a baby som, and retrieving a Napa Valley something or other ordered from my brisk 57-degree hole in the ground New York City restaurant. The LOVELY (crossing my eyes) guest told me, in his best New Jersey accent, that he didn’t ask for a “Cold As Fuck” Cab. “You are ruining everything - who chills a Cab Sav?” (yup, can’t make it up)

Listen, drink your wine anyway you like - but don’t be a fool about it. There is some sense about chilling red wine:

Balancing structural elements like alcohol, acid, and fruit will happen, and a bit quicker than without the chill.
Lower temperatures make a wine taste crisper and more refreshing. It pulls the flavors together so the wine does not taste flat or flabby.
Your wine flavor outcomes - bright, tart fruit notes like cranberry, raspberry, and sour cherry.

Now let me blow your mind with a red blend from Portugal. I’m looking for traditional winemaking and vibe, but I also want a qualitative wine, and one with maybe a little modernism thrown in - why not. This wine is comprised of 45% Touriga Nacional, 40% Tinta Roriz, and 15% Toriga Franca. Let’s break this down yet another step:

Touriga Nacional; Always the backbone, always the powerhouse, always the grape that will hold the scene together. Can we compare this grape’s activity to that of Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux? Possibly, but she is going further. She has a thick skin (good for her), so we will need to expect a higher concentration with whatever this grape is going to do, as well as a nice grip of tannins. Deep, floral, maybe a bit herbal - she is the main character of the story.
Tinta Roriz: This is my fleshy girl. Oh, she is sexy. She comes off juicy and a little spicy. Also known as something that may be familiar to you - Tempranillo. Because this wine is coming from the Duoro, we can expect some darker fruit components, and something chocolaty. We are in a bit of a cooler region, so you are also going to see elegance, and that addition of acidity. An important edge to this wine.
Tinta Franca: She is here to calm down the other two. She will help with aromas - very perfumy and pretty. She will soften the tannins of the other girls - she makes everything sing together. There is also a brightness about Tina Franca, which will come up WHEN WE CHILL ALL THESE GIRLS DOWN.

This wine, I have to say, is blowing me away. Maybe because right now, I’m looking for something casual. Not to say there isn’t a lot going on in the wine, because that is what is attracting me. The wine is expressive and harmonious - the wine doesn’t have to say a lot to be a lot. I’m looking for that in my wine, in my life, in my companions, in everything I do lately. There is also an obvious form of development here. I see where it is going, but I’m also concerned that it won’t stop. It is long, very long, and I’m still tasting the wine during conversation; this makes me happy. I want you on me Quinta do Portal. I want to know your story on my palette.

Chill it down, don’t chill it down - in the end, you are the master of your own destiny.