Perfume makers grab inspiration in varied concepts and experiences: from Carolina Herrera’s romance with The Hamptons’ lifestyle, Kenzo’s exotic poppy seed as muse of choice and Dior’s affair with gold, it truly takes a master to distill drops of fragrance out of an idea.
Winemakers tend to have a contrasting approach, they aim to bottle the soul of their vineyards and to let oenophiles have a taste of their plants, their sun and their art. Some wines, however, are so quintessentially reminiscent of determined places that you could borrow a bit from the perfumer’s handbook and attach them to a memory or a wish.
Porta 6 Branco would in that case be a sun holiday in a bottle. Days of tanning by the glittering Portuguese coast and evenings of sharing traditional dishes and falling in love will revive inside your heart after a sip of this light bodied and uncomplicated white wine.
It’s made in Lisbon, with a combination of local varieties (60% Fernão Pires, 30% Arinto and 10% Moscatel) and it is fresh and balanced, with a moderate ABV of 12.5% and an equally medium-strength acidity.
Lemon, pineapple and passion fruit make their way from your nose into your palate and while they don’t linger there for too long, their stay is pleasant and refreshing. An subtle mineral goodbye gets your taste buds ready for round two.
Serve it chilled and pair it with salty, fatty fish dishes. It was born for that. If you are looking for inspiration, check out this sea trout with clams recipe, pan fried sea bass or turbot tapas.
Porta 6 Branco O’Briens Wine is available at at €12.95 and it’s currently on offer (buy 1 get 1 half price).
Gabriela’s passion for writing is only matched by her love for food and wine. Journalist, confectioner and sommelier, she fell in love with Ireland years ago and moved from Venezuela to Dublin in 2014.
Since then, she has written about and worked in the local food scene, and she’s determined to discover and share the different traditions, flavours and places that have led Irish food and drink to fascinate her.
Gabriela Guédez Gabriela Guédez