Dão is one of Portugal’s wine demarcated areas, and the Dão wines are some of my favorite in the world! But where in Portugal is Dão and his best Portuguese red wines?
Viseu, in the north of Portugal, is the home of the wine demarcated area of Dão, between Serra da Estrela, Serra do Caramulo and Serra da Nave, you can expect some very nice views of this hilly in Viseu.
Dão wines - https://goo.gl/oYqURj
Being that our trip to Viseu was in the week between Christmas and New Years we were wishfully hoping to find some vineyards to explore. A visit to the Solar dos Vinhos do Dão in the center of Viseu would allow us to know which vineyards were around town and would give us a chance to see what they have to show there. After a very nice educational video about the Dão area and a display of some 70’s wines of the area that made me want to open every-single-one of them, the nice gentleman that was there confirmed our fears, no one would be available to give us a vineyard tour and some wine tastings, but that we could try and ring a couple of them. And so we did until we managed to find one just 15 minutes away from Viseu.
The Quinta do Medronheiro is a small vineyard that with its 3.5 hectares of vineyard produces 4 kinds of grapes
Touriga Nacional - https://goo.gl/5wVjcw
Tinta Roriz - https://goo.gl/rHRVKi
Jaén - https://goo.gl/fNi4Hd
Endruzado - https://goo.gl/H6oSde
And 3 types of wine. A red (Oloroso), a white that is yet to be released, and a sparkling wine (Stagio).
The 2010 Oloroso, presented itself as a very light and fresh Dão that are known to me for their strong tannin punch and long finishes.
On the nose, the Oloroso has a fruity, plummy aroma with a slight taste of wood and a freshness that pulled me towards citrus.
On the palate, soft, with a very controlled acidity and a viable tannin, this wine was a very nice surprise, that I, however, believe to be slightly overpriced when compared to the Portuguese market offers at the 11€ average. However, understandable due to the houses low production.
If you are looking for a Dão wine that retains the punchiness of Dão wines but is lighter for a warmer summer day with a light meat dish, this one might surprise you as it did me.
The white sparkling (as they also have a rose) was incredibly fresh, wish citrus flowing around both on the nose and on the palate. Although I’m not a big fan of champagnes and sparkling wines, it was a nice experience.
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