Vale da Capucha 2011, Vinho Regional Lisboa, Portugal

Vale da Capucha 2011, Vinho Regional, Portugal
15%
€20.50

Very restrained with just ripe damson fruits, good acidity and a very attractive mineral core. Great wine with real character.

This has the acidity and tannic structure to cut through fatty meats; grilled duck breast or maybe belly of pork, so long as they aren’t swamped with a sweet sauce.

Available from Corkscrew, Gibney’s Malahide, Redmond’s Ranelagh.

Pedro Marques is better known for his white wines than red (see above), but I tried this red three times over the last six months and was very taken with it. As my tasting note suggests, it was a lovely elegant wine with a slight earthy minerality. I was gobsmacked to find out it was 15% alcohol. So not one to sip while watching TV.