When I arrive in a new country or find a new retailer with a range of wines I've never seen before I get excited. I'm obsessed with tasting wine and making sense of varieties and regions that I've never encountered before.
Sometimes I buy so much that we can't taste them all before we move on to a new place where those wines aren't available. And so it was with this little beauty. We bought it in Portugal and opened the bottle in Spain.
It's a dazzling crisp dry white full of aromatic flavour that warrants a much higher price. I wish we'd bought more
MONTE DA FERRA 2016 VINHO BRANCO
GRAPE VARIETIES: Roupeiro, Arinto and Fernao Pires
REGION: Alentejo, Portugal
A/V: 12.5%
PRICE: 1.99 euro
FROM: Aldi, Portugal
RATING: 5/5 from me
This is another bargain from the recent Continente sale.
Complex, surprisingly mellow and warmly inviting this is a masterful blend. I would have loved an opportunity to taste the components individually before the blend was put together
MULA VELHA 2016 PREMIUM WHITE
GRAPE VARIETIES: Fernao Pires, Arinto, Chardonnay and Verdelho
REGION: Lisboa, Portugal
A/V: 13%
PRICE: 2.99 euro [marked down from 9.99]
FROM: Continente, Portugal
RATING: 5/5 from me
That's the original asking price Continente reckon before reducing it to 2.99. Even then there are so many better wines out there.
This is quite a hard, austere white without much enticing fruit. Some will like it but the markdown claim annoys me.
CALHANDRIZ 2016 PREMIUM WHITE
GRAPE VARIETIES: Arinto and Chardonnay
REGION: Lisboa, Portugal
A/V: 13%
PRICE: 2.99 euro [reduced from 9.99]
FROM: Continente, Portugal
RATING: 2/5 from me
The sceptical me wonders whether this ever saw a 16 euro price tag. Which is a shame because this is a really interesting complex dry white blend. It's quite developed for a wine this young with a honeysuckle richness dominating a full bodied palate. Won't be to everyone's taste, well and truly worth 6 euro but not 16.
GRAPE VARIETIES: Antao Vaz, Arinto, Viognier and Semillon
REGION:Alentejano, Portugal
A/V: 13 %
PRICE: 5.99 euro [reduced from 15.99]
FROM: Continente, Portugal
RATING: 4/5 from me
Am I the only one that reads the back labels on wine bottles. This one refers to "the Lusitano Horse, a brave companion since the time of the Roman legionnaires 5000 years ago".
They would have been a surprise to everyone at the time!
And the wine? It's a very steely austere dry white without much discernible fruit. A perfectly acceptable quaffer if you like the style. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it but I'm enjoying others far more.
CAVALO BRAVO 2016 VINHO BRANCO
GRAPE VARIETIES: Fernao Pires and Arinto
REGION: Tejo, Portugal
A/V: 12.5%
PRICE: 2.19 euro
FROM: Continente,Portugal
RATING: 3/5 from me
When I arrive in a new country or find a new retailer with a range of wines I've never seen before I get excited. I'm obsessed with tasting wine and making sense of varieties and regions that I've never encountered before. 
