It’s been a month and a half since the European Wine Blogger’s Conference, and shamefully, we’re just now getting around to not only retasting many of these wines, but simply entering our notes on the numerous great wines we tasted. Today, I want to point out a wine that I think is starting to mature gracefully and is worth your attention.

In 2006, I visited Herdade Malhadinha, while still in a learning phase regarding Alentejo wines. My palate was exercising itself to include a whole ranging of grapes and flavors I wasn’t used to. It was at Malhadinha that I first realized the great potential of the Alicante Bouschet grape having tasted a wine that was vibrant and alive after spending 16 months in oak.

Not surprisingly, the winery has grown fast, and now boasts a Spa/Country house that we have yet to visit, but I did see the beginnings of the construction last time I was there. From there website (warning heavy use of flash), you can get a feel for the facilities; and it appears to be a nice offering for the growing wine tourism industry of the Alentejo. Only a few hours by car from Lisbon, this is definitely something to check out if you craving a relaxing vacation in the Portuguese countryside.

So how are the wines? A few nights ago, we popped open a bottle of the 2006 Malhadinha Nova and were very impressed. A blend of Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine is foot trodded in a lagar and aged in French oak for 14 months. During my first trip, and subsequent tastings of their wines, I found that I liked the wines, but they seemed to be in a phase of sorting out their personality and identity. The 2006 feels as if its coming into its own, and the youthful exploration of the first few years is beginning to move to the refining stage. In short, we both enthusiastically give this wine our thumbs up. Full of fruit, perfumy nose and wonderful layers, this wine was open for hours, as we enjoyed it with grilled pork and artichokes. It is a modern styled wine, where its fruit is pure and up front, but still tastes of Portugal. aAnd from my experience of Portuguese wine, I would even say that it tastes of the Alentejo.

For me the “flavor” is something I wish I could explain, but personally my sensory memory of Portugal and Alentejo wines stems from our trip through the region back in 2003. Maybe it’s the soil, the air, or the memories, but there are times when I stick my nose into a glass and it brings me back to this place and time, a smell that has been reinforced many times since with subsequent trips.

This Alentejo wine is worth seeking out. Perfect for some backyard grilling, where smokey meats require a strong, yet juicy, wine to deal with their powerful flavors. Congrats to Herdade Malhadinha, and we look forward to tasting more of your wines as you further refine your style.

Ok and now a few housekeeping notes before we head into the weekend!

• Delong Iberian Wine Maps! Yes, they have arrived in Spain, and we are selling them! Thanks to Steve DeLong, we are your new European distributors. Hence, if you want to order a comprehensive Iberian wine map, head on over to our Iberian Wine Map page! We’re still working out shipping details throughout Europe, considering that it’s more expensive than we had hoped, but we’ll have the numbers for you shortly. If you are in Spain, however, you can order one today for considerably less than shipping from the US.
• If your a wine blogger, please fill out the Wine Blogger survey to let us learn about you. We are trying to get a snapshot as to the demographics of a wine blogger. Hopefully, we’ll have some interesting results to share soon!
• New client in the Sidebar - la Casa de las Vides is a familiar winery in Valencia that is just now beginning to export. We’ve built their site, and are now helping to spread their message. What’s interesting about these guys is their history. The name in English means, “house of the vines”, describing the family’s long history of selling vines from their nursey, a business they continue even today. We’ve asked them to share these experiences with us, so hopefully, we all can learn about the intricate details in growing vines! Please give them a visit, and say hello to Emilio, the export director from Tintoralba fame! And if you have any design skills, please leave a comment on this post.

• Bodega Profile - Herdade de Malhadinha
• New Portuguese Wine in the USA
• Story Map
• Spanish and Portuguese Wines Sweep!
• Bodega Profile - Monte da Ravasqueira - Alentejo

Wine Blogging Wednesday rolls around again with a theme from Russ, the Wine Hiker, of “Which wine, which wilderness.” Sounds pretty straightforward… which wine would you bring on a hike near where you live. The only problem is, I don’t hike.

It’s not that I don’t like hiking, I do, but rarely get on the trail these days here in Minnesota. I like walking and it is my exercise of choice but it’s usually done in my suburban neighborhood or around one of the many lakes in the Twin Cities. Rarely have I ventured up north to where the real action is here in the land of 10,000 lakes.

But this theme not only got me to think about where I might hike but also which wine I might take on the journey. Since I’m one to pack lightly, I chose a wine I could enjoy without a corkscrew. That left every wine made here in Minnesota behind but there were several choices left on the shelf. I also assumed I would bring simple water glasses or metal cups and not the usual Riedel stems on my hike so the choice should be something hearty. This got me thinking of the wines of Italy which are often consumed in humble glassware. Alas, I was not able to find a wine in screwcap or other non-corkscrew closure from Italy but my friends in California did not disappoint.

Since part of the task was to match this wine with a hike, I consulted Google to select one of the top 10 hikes in the country right in my backyard, the Superior Hiking Trail. This trail covers over 200 miles from Two Harbors, MN — near Duluth — to the Canadian border. The north shore of Lake Superior is some of the most beautiful country you are likely to see and this time of year it’s awesome due to our long Indian summer and fall colors. At some point, I will make this hike and might just bring along the wine I picked up for the journey, Hey Mambo.

This is one of those “marketing wines” from Don Sebastiani and Sons which I’ve been meaning to try anyway. Great label, interesting premise and the Zork closure all for $12.99. I was also intrigued by the blend of Barbera, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Alicante Bouschet which I thought would be a good choice for my water glass/cup scenario. So I was looking forward to what might be in the glass tonight.

Tasting Notes:

The Other Guys, “Hey Mambo”, Sultry Red 2006 ($13) - Dark purple in color with aromas of blackberry, cranberry, fennel and sage. Bright and juicy in the mouth with blackberry, red cherry, bell pepper and vanilla finishing with moderate tannins. An interesting and satisfying blend in an nice package.

13.5% ABV
Zork closure
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Buy this wine online

Thanks to Russ for a great theme this time… It will be good to see him again at the upcoming Wine Blogger Conference later this month. Look for the next theme to be announced soon.