Quinta do Casal do Ramilo Red 2013
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Four generations later, unwilling to accept the abandonment of local traditions, brothers Pedro and Nuno Ramilo left their confortable lives to embrace a family business of four generations. The task was huge, but they had no doubts on the way to go. They strongly believed their future laid in their ancestors’ roots, hidden in the Lizandro River slopes and in the sandy properties of Colares, among the terraces and ancient stone walls of the old family vineyards. They rebuilt the family estates, saved old vines and planted new ones. The brothers are now on the verge of becoming the largest private producer of the world famous Ramisco from Colares.
The estate is located in a valley with southern orientation in a rural setting and landscape of rare beauty, with non-populated mountains and the famous hills of Sintra and the Pena Palace as a backgroud. This estate is part of a major wine producing area in the nineteenth century. The European crises of the mid twentieth century led to a gradually abandonment of the vines in the region, due to the high costs of production caused by the mountainous terrain.
Despite the region's proximity to the sea, the Lizandro river valleys and the numerous streams that converge on it, create a microclimate characterized by wet mornings and nights and warm afternoons, where temperatures often hover around 30ºC (86ºF). This balanced climate associated with the rocky soils of the region, enables the creation of very special wines, with an often hard to reach balance in other parts of the country.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
Best known for intense, impressive and age-worthy fortified wines, Portugal relies almost exclusively on its many indigenous grape varieties. Bordering Spain to its north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean on its west and south coasts, this is a land where tradition reigns supreme, due to its relative geographical and, for much of the 20th century, political isolation. A long and narrow but small country, Portugal claims considerable diversity in climate and wine styles, with milder weather in the north and significantly more rainfall near the coast.
While Port (named after its city of Oporto on the Atlantic Coast at the end of the Douro Valley), made Portugal famous, Portugal is also an excellent source of dry red and white Portuguese wines of various styles.
The Douro Valley produces full-bodied and concentrated dry red Portuguese wines made from the same set of grape varieties used for Port, which include Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (Spain’s Tempranillo), Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão, among a long list of others in minor proportions.
Other dry Portuguese wines include the tart, slightly effervescent Vinho Verde white wine, made in the north, and the bright, elegant reds and whites of the Dão as well as the bold, and fruit-driven reds and whites of the southern, Alentejo.
The nation’s other important fortified wine, Madeira, is produced on the eponymous island off the North African coast.