Wine of the Week! 08/05/24

Quinta da Alorna Lutra Tejo Tinto

Normally $11.99 / Now on Sale for $9.96
40% Castelão, 40% Touriga Nacional, 20% Trincadeira (Tejo IG)

Portugal’s Tejo wine region is an Indicação Geográfica Protegida that sits in the center of the country, stretching northwest of Lisbon. Though it has whites, it’s mostly known for its strong reds. Covering the entire Santarém province, its defining characteristic is the Tejo or Tagus River that runs through its center, passing Lisbon, and emptying out into the Atlantic.

Quinta da Alorna sits on the Tejo’s south bank, near the town of Santarém, and it’s not just a vineyard but a whole agricultural concern. They grow corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and peanuts for agri-businesses. They also have hectares of forest from which they harvest cork, eucalyptus, and pine nuts. However, we’re here to talk about their sustainably grown grapes (though this wine is a combination of their grapes and grapes from other local growers).

Most of this layered, medium-bodied yet rich red is Castelão and Trincadeira. Castelão is a dark-skinned grape, one of the most grown in Portugal. Though it especially thrives south of Lisbon, here we find it in Tejo. Trincadeira (a.k.a. Tinta Amarela — its official, but less used name) is a purple-skinned, grown principally in the Douro, Dão and Alentejo regions. It’s a common port grape as is the remaining grape here, Touriga Nacional.

The Lutra (The Otter) is just what you expect and want from a Portuguese red. You get the lush, purple fruit that you find in port, but the tannins from the Castelão provide enough of a structural foundation to keep the Lutra lean and river ready. Drink it just a bit cool as if you’ve taken it from your wine cellar. Have it with deep fleshy fruits like plums or blood oranges or with milk chocolate (or dark, if you must) or also with grilled meats for your mid-summer or end of summer cookouts.