Portuguese New World wine

by Sherwin Lao

The tag line of one of Philippine Wine Merchant’s newer brand acquisitions, Callabriga Wines says `New Wine from the Old World’ – `new wine’ more in reference to new world wine, and therefore the concept of producing fuller body, higher alcohol, more intense, fruitier and even riper wines come as part of the selling points of this brand from `old world’ Portugal. The reality is New World wines led by Australia, New Zealand and the Americas, both North (California in particular) and South (Chile and Argentina) are changing the taste buds of wine drinkers and creating a new format that is now used as benchmark for a certain style and taste.

The influential wine spectator and wine advocate of wine demigod Robert Parker have also made this style commercially and critically acceptable. It is quite paradoxical, that here is a case where an Old World wine producer wants to be recognized for its New World wine, while most of the more reputable New World wineries on the other hand want to be known for their Old World and traditional winemaking style.

From Robert Mondavi to Stags Leap, these trendsetting Napa wineries pride themselves in making Bordeaux (old-world) style Cabernet Sauvignons. Ditto with Australia’s most iconic wine, Penfold’s Grange, which was inspired by Northern Rhone’s Hermitage, thus was initially named Grange Hermitage when first conceived. And so much more cases from New World wine producers.

Vinhos Sogrape

Callabriga is from Sogrape Vinhos, the largest winery in Portugal, and more renowned for their hugely successful Mateus Rosé – still the best selling Portuguese wine in the world. Sogrape Vinhos earlier this year bagged the much coveted `Producer of the Year’ award from American magazine Wine Enthusiast. This recognition put Sogrape in the most illustrious company of previous award recipients such as Robert Mondavi, E&J Gallo, Antinori, Kendall Jackson, Torres, Louis Roederer, and other industry shakers. Aside from Mateus, Sogrape also owns the best popular Port brands in the world: Ferriera, Offley and Sandeman, and wineries as well in Chile, Argentina and New Zealand.

Recently, Sogrape Vinhos Hong Kong based area manager Lenka Lopes Svobodova, was in town to help promote Callabriga Wines through a Wine Dinner at the Impressions, the ultra chic fine-dining restaurant of the Maxims Towers in Resorts World. According to Lenka, Callabriga which was launched just in the last decade, was developed to adapt wines to present day quality preferences, but with trusted Portuguese varietals and Portugal’s wine blending expertise. The Portuguese varietals like Tinto Roriz (more famous as Spain’s proudest varietal Tempranillo), Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca are normally blended to make a good premium wine, and Callabriga had this winemaking philosophy plus the huge technological resources and modern R&D department to make the wines taste a certain way. And true enough, Callabriga wines have won over critics, getting great scores consistently from the most respectable wine magazines. I even included the Callabriga Reserva Dao 2007 in my Grand Wine Experience 2010 top 10 discoveries of the event (appeared in this column December 15, 2010). Callabriga wines come in three regions: Alentejo, Dão and Douro, all prominent Portuguese DOs .

Tasting Notes:

Callabriga Alentejo 2008 – `Very fruit forward, cherry, blackberry, anise, sweet oak, vanilla, nicely structured and an echoing choco-mint like finish, a real fruit bomb’

Callabriga Dão Reserva 2005 – `This is even an older version of the same wine but 2007 vintage I added to my Grand Wine Experience 2010 top 10 favorite discoveries, the nose has coffee latte, dark fruits, buttered toast, supple chewy tannins on the palate, round and long on the finish’

The two Callabriga wines were indeed excellent. To me, the varietal make-ups of both wines make them still more `Old World’ then New World style, though the heavier texture may be the x-factor here. Other wines tasted in the Wine Dinner were the Grão Vasco white and red, and the omnipresent Ferreira Quinto do Porto 10-year-old Tawny Port.

The return of chef Cyrille

While Impressions restaurant is relatively new, the one at the helm in the kitchen is one of the most recognized and finest French chefs to set foot in our country, chef Cyrille Soenen, formerly of the Prince Albert, Intercontinental Hotel, and his own Cicou restaurant. Now, back in the hotel scene, chef Cyrille is perfectly suited for Maxims’ upscale food service. And true to form, chef’s Cyrille’s menu was at its best and most creative too. The five-course meal was purely superb, starting off with the appetizer of wrapped scallop in smoked lard, hazelnut dressing and assorted cress. It was followed by the soup course of cream of porcini and duck liver – (foie has always been part of Chef Cyrille’s dish repertoire). The first entrée was the soft boiled farmer egg, sautéed chanterelles mushroom in truffle sauce. This one was simply incredible! The presentation alone from mere sight was aesthetically delicious already (you have to see to believe…), and on the tasting, it was very delectable, with exciting mix of flavors. I have never raved about egg dishes this way ever! The main course was veal loin coated with black chanterelles, veal sweet bread in spaghetti with truffle – again, very creative food presentation, and excellent meat course to showcase an equally sumptuous Callabriga Dão Reserva wine. Dessert of chestnut creme brulee was last, and paired with Ferreira 10-year-old tawny port. The Callabriga wines may try to be `new world’ wine like, and the real new world wineries may try to be `old world’ like, so the proverbial saying that the grass in the other side is always greener holds true once more in this case. Which style or which `world’ will sell more however remains to be seen.

For inquiries on Callabriga wines, kindly contact Philippine Wine Merchant at telephone numbers (02)853-0940 and (02)853-1698

For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, wine consultancy and other wine related concerns, please e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/sherwinlao.

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