2005 Mouchão Tinto (Alentejo) Herdade do Mouchão

The Alentejo region covers about one-third of Portugal, stretching up from the Algarve, and is better known for its cork production than its vineyards. Its wines, however, are setting this right with warm, textured, fruit-driven reds such as this, the second wine (Alicante Bouschet 70%, Trincadeira 30%) of the respected Herdade de Mouchão Estate.

Mouchao has been in the ownership of the Richardsons, a family of peripatetic Scots, since before 1900. This was rudely interrupted in 1974 when the military dictatorship seized the entire property in what proved a rather difficult time for the Richardsons, fortunately resolved only fifteen months later when the Herdade was returned, relatively unscathed, to its rightful owners. Since then they have reverted to making wonderfully traditional wines , employing stone lagares, à la vintage port, to tread the grapes by foot, and then ageing the juice in large vats in their rather photogenic white-washed cuverie, under the shelter of old eucalyptus trees. Well worth a visit if you are in the Algarve.