by rodney on February 10, 2010
85 Columbia Street
Fall River, MA 02721
(508) 675-0002
Closed Tuesdays
Luis Bettencourt
Proprietor
Portuguese Cuisine
Sometimes you can’t get enough of a good thing. So, I followed up the great Touriga Nacional seminar at the Boston Wine Expo by taking my brother, Robert, to my favorite Portuguese restaurant in Fall River, MA. I make it a point to stop in whenever I am in the area and am overtaken by a craving for Carne de Porco à Alentejana. But since this is “Invitation-Only”, there’ll be no menu and no Alentejana tonight.
Luis happily greets us over the sounds of the Portuguese Futebol Liga match on television (For a moment, I thought it was summer again and I was back in the Algarve). I share the list of Touriga wines that I tasted during the seminar, when Luis pulls out his last bottle of CARM Reserva, 2001, which he says will go nicely with the dish he has planned. He brings over the wine with some olives and crusty Portuguese rolls with butter.
2001 CARM Reserva Touriga Nacional blend, vanilla, smoke, spice, ripe black fruit, medium body, mild tannins, balanced alcohol/acidity
We start with a Portuguese soup of cabbage, kale, chourico, beef, potatoes, carrots, elbow pasta, etc. I have eaten Portuguese soup all of my life and I’m not sure that I have ever had it the same way twice. The soup is a delicious meal served alone and perfect for a cold winter night (properly eaten of course by soaking torn pieces of Portuguese bread). The acidity of the CARM balanced well with the hardy soup. [click to continue…]
by rodney on January 31, 2010
My Portuguese odyssey, which began as a child in Fall River, MA and rediscovered in the Algarve last June, continued at the 2010 Boston Wine Expo. After a full day of posing as a French wine snob, I attempted to reopen my mind by attending the “Rise of Touriga Nacional” seminar hosted by MW Sandy Block.
My earliest experience of tasting Portuguese wine (barred from the Lancers and Mateus that my parent’s drank in the ’70s) was barrel “sampling” in the basement of my Azorean neighbors’ homes. Not sophisticated enough at the time to judge the bouquet or finish, all I can remember was that since they comprised whatever Vitis Lambrusca was found growing in their New England gardens (trellised for shade and high yield), their wines more closely resembled the typical field blends produced back on the island. After all, it was intended as table wine; to be drunk young and often.
A lot has changed in Portuguese wine production in the past 25 years. Field blends are becoming a thing of lore and wines are being created with their own unique character. And according to Mr. Block, Portugal’s Touriga Nacional is fighting for and deserving of shelf space in the market and in your cellar. [click to continue…]
by katrin on December 25, 2009
Like many wine fans, I receive emails from many wine store. One of my favorite and most trusted stores in the Boston area is Gordon’s Fine Wine. In David Raines’ absence, other staff have stepped up to promote their wine of the moment. Some of the more enthusiastic missives come from Michael Murray. After having purchased several of his offerings over the past year, I have come to trust his opinion.
[click to continue…]
by rodney on July 1, 2009
My last post from the Algarve. Just a quick Food & Wine video.
Luis happily greets us over the sounds of the Portuguese Futebol Liga match on television (For a moment, I thought it was summer again and I was back in the Algarve). I share the list of Touriga wines that I tasted during the seminar, when Luis pulls out his last bottle of CARM Reserva, 2001, which he says will go nicely with the dish he has planned. He brings over the wine with some olives and crusty Portuguese rolls with butter.
