“Lisbon has a million of interesting things to draw and paint…” and among them, German artist Hauke Vag points out the fado, the characters and the city’s famous cable car as a few of his many sources of inspiration. His quirky and busy style of illustration graces the label of our wine of the week.
On an interview published by Vidigal Wines, the brand behind the bottle, he admits not to remember exactly when he drew the cheerful postcard of Lisbon, but one thing he recalls is that the character shown on it is a lot like one of his neighbours: A man sitting on the front of a yellow house grilling a couple of fish while a cat looks at him, surely in the hopes of scoring some free seafood. He’s enjoying a glass of red wine -the man, not the cat- and his relaxed vibe along with the general feeling of the snap, challenge our rule of never judging a wine by its label.
Porta 6 2015 is in fact as festive and easy going as the colourful scene that wraps it and very Portuguese as well. Youthful and vibrant, it has the mix of moderate acidity and tannins that pleases most palates and even while its ABV is on the high side of medium at 13%, it’s round and smooth with no harshness to cloud the sunny vibes.
Ripe cranberries, blackberries and cherries appear on the nose and stay for the palate where red cherry jam is cheerfully served, accompanied by a bit of toast and a sprinkle of cinnamon. The one to thank for this tasty snack is oak, as the wine spent three months maturing on it.
It’s made y 50% Tinta Roriz (yet another of Tempranillo’s many names), 40% Castelão and 10% Touriga Nacional grown in the north of Lisbon.
This is a versatile and friendly wine and while the guy in the illustration seemed to be enjoying it with grilled fish, we’d say it’s better paired with something a bit meatier like this juicy festive baked ham, a fillet of beef or, if you’re entertaining, surprise your guests with something like Baked Crostini Recipe with Mozzarella, Proscuitto and Figs.
Porta 6 2015 is available at O’Briens Wines at €10 (on offer from €12.95).
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