2016 Insurgente Vinho Tinto, Dão, Portugal (Alcohol 13.9%, Residual Sugar 5g/L) LCBO Vintages $17.95 (750ml bottle)
As the nights are drawing in, and the days get wonderfully cooler, we slip into my favourite time of year, the Autumnal months; and what better to warm the cockles of your heart than a rich, dark glass of a blend of Touriga Nacional and Alfrocheiro from the warm slopes of the Dão?
This one is all about a whole shedload of black berry fruit, with a funky herbal/forest floor edge, and nice tasty whiff of toasty oak spice. The forward tannins are more than ripe and round enough, and complement the heart-of-darkness fruit quite marvellously on the palate. Of particular note is the hearty lengthy finish, certainly not something that you’d expect for $18.
As a value-priced package it all comes together perfectly, a wonderfully balanced and yet undeniably powerful wine.
This is unarguably a densely packed, intense wine with a certain “beefiness” that makes it a fantastic foil for more boldly flavoured dishes that begin to emerge from better home kitchens around this time of year… think wild game (if you can get your hands on the stuff)… wild mallard, wild boar, venison meatballs… superb!
(Four and a half apples out of a possible five)
Edinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge, and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… And that was a terrific wine!
