Porta 6 Vinho Branco 2015 Portuguese White Wine

We went on a family trip to the Algarve in June of this year. We stayed in a resort near the sea to go to a wedding. I was pleasantly surprised how nice the Algarve really was especially the walks around the coast. The interior of the Algarve was great and there is lots of quiet country to enjoy which is well away from the crowds.

There was also lots of wild life to see and we were particularly impressed by the storks soaring above our heads and nesting in the the interior towns and villages: this is a very rare sight in the UK. The local people are doing their best to protect the wildlife and maintain a balance between tourist development around the coast and protecting the environment. There is even a plan to re-introduce the Iberian lynx. Hopefully their plan to protect endangered species will prove to be successful.

The food was great especially the seafood and we ate some wonderful sea bass, sardines and gambas.

All this was washed down with local dry white wine from the carafe.

When we left the airport was crowded and I could nor work up the courage to leave the bar and go and buy some wine.

Luckily, my wife was more spirited and she bought a souvenir bottle of 2105 Porta 6 dry white wine from the Lisbon region.

We opened it a week after downing a bottle of Chateau Tahbilk Marsanne. Obviously it did not hold up a candle to the the Australian gem but it only cost a few Euros for a bottle. The wine is described below. I cannot agree that it had a taste of red berries but it did have a nutty and white berry flavour. Not bad for a couple of quid a bottle; but of course the price of all wines is about to go up with the fall in the value of the pound.

 If and when we leave the EU then what will happen to the rather generous personal allowance to import 90 bottles of wine, with no questions asked? Will we go back to the bad old days of only being allowed to carry 6 bottles of wine through customs?  Vote leave wine lovers might be crying into their Riedel glasses  - and me! I have broken most of my Riedel glasses and now the extra duty and the fall in the pound might make them unaffordable again.

It might be a good moment to rush out to buy a case Porta 6 white wine: they also do reds. We drank the white wine with fish but it will also go down well with roast chicken.

My favourite Portuguese White is Alvarinho from the North West of Portugal and on the Spanish border. The Portuguese claim that their wine is better than the Albariño produced on the Spanish side of the border and vice versa. I just love both.

https://www.vinha.co.uk/wine/white-wine-porta-6-2015-75cl-lisboa-17203/

Chateau Tahbilk Marsanne 2014

I was first introduced to the wines of Chateau Tahbilk by Australian friends in London, way back in the 1970's. We used to go to the "Cork and Bottle" wine bar on Leicester Square. The wine bar is still going strong and the balance of clientele, service, food and atmosphere is superb. The range and quality of the wines would be difficult beat; even the house wines are great. The wine bar is certainly worth visiting when you are in London. There are two entrances.

http://www.thecorkandbottle.co.uk/

Most of our Australian friends are from Victoria state and this is why they are so proud of Chateau Tahbilk wines. Tahbilk makes some of the finest wines that Victoria and Australia have to offer and their wines can easily compete with top wines from France, Italy, Spain and California.

Their Marsanne 2014 is no exception. I rarely agree with the description on the bottle or the website but this time I could not agree more. It genuinely has a taste of tropical fruits and minerals. It is a complex and concentrated wine with long length on the palate.

This wine is not for slugging back in a bar or at a barbecue but it should be savoured over a home cooked meal or at a restaurant with good food.

We drank ours with pasta and with some friends.  Before tasting the wine make sure it is served slightly chilled. Drink the wine from a reasonably sized tulip glass and give the wine a good swirl before smelling and tasting. To obtain the full flavour wash the wine around your mouth - lips closed of course.

http://www.tahbilk.com.au/

http://www.tahbilk.com.au/buy-tahbilk-wine-online/tahbilk-2014-marsanne.html

I can forgive Tahbilk for the varietal labelling as the wine is so good. There is a hefty duty on non-EU wines, in the UK and other EU countries, but the wine still stays competitive price wise.  I recommend it highly and if  you can find it then give it a try. I bought my bottle in "The Planet of The Grapes" in Bow Lane.

You can also find it here for about £10 a bottle if you buy half a case.

https://www.armitwines.co.uk/australia/victoria/tahbilk/
  

There is no prize for guessing where the Marsanne grape originated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsanne