How do you sum up an entire country in just two hours? That’s the challenge I was given by the Netherlands Guild of Sommeliers for a masterclass I gave earlier this week.
The NGS knew that I’d have a personal take on the topic, having co-authored a book on Portuguese wine that is hardly standard. I named the masterclass Portuguese Wine Secrets, because so much of this Atlantic nation’s output still sits under the radar. And for many of the 32 sommeliers in attendance, it was a voyage of discovery.
My overriding theme was the re-emergence of an authentic tradition. The 1990s saw the country open up after joining the EU in 1986, and winemakers were eager to modernise and to leave the vestiges of tradition behind. It took much longer for the Portuguese to realise that their trump card was those very same traditions that once felt so old-fashioned and obsolete.
What makes Portuguese wine so exciting is its focus on field blends1, on grape varieties that grow nowhere else in the world, on the value of really old vines and on ancient techniques like foot treading of grapes or fermenting in large clay pots. A new generation of winemakers has embraced this rich heritage, inspired by the growth of low intervention winemaking in other parts of Europe and energised by new wine audiences who don’t just want another oaked Chardonnay or Provencal style Rosé.
The aim of my masterclass was not just to show these important traditions, but also to confound preconceptions
This Article was originally published on The Morning Claret
