Wine Club: Portugal in a Bottle!

Bem-vindo to 2021! Time for the newest edition of Wine Club. For the first few months of the year, we want to take a positive outlook and begin giving you ideas of where to travel to when it's safe again. Afterall, this has always been at the core of Grand Cata and Wine Club: showing you special places en el mundo Latino you should visit for exquisite vino!

This month, we’ve chosen to connect to special regions in Portugal. If you’ve never been, Portugal is a magical country that blends history, culture, modernity, and antiquity like no place else in Europe.

You will get two reds in this edition. The first, a 100% Touriga Nacional, hails from the Dão region in north central Portugal. Protected by high mountains and pine forests, the (comparatively) cool climate of Dão leads to wines with finesse and elegance. Over the last 20 years or so, quality has been a priority in the region, with small and enterprising producers crafting world class wines from indigenous varieties.

One such small producer is Alvaro Castro, who has led the charge at both his family’s properties, Quinta de Saes and Quinta da Pellada, since 1980. He is a fierce traditionalist, striving to express honestly a place and time through wine. Alvaro’s wines taste the way they do because he allows the land and the fruit to tell him what to do.

For the second, we travel south to Alentejo, the largest wine region in Portugal and home to the forests that produce the vast majority of the world’s cork trees. Alentejo is hot, and known for big, juicy, intense reds. This one is textbook for the region, begging for a hearty meal to pair to.

This is the first time that a winemaker has repeated in Wine Club! We also showcased Antonio Maçanita and his sister Joana in our Douro/Duero selection. This time, we celebrate Antonio’s work with Fita da Fitapreta, a collaboration with British-born viticulturist, David Booth. In this wine, they blend 50% Aragonez (Tempranillo), 30% Touriga Nacional, and 20% Alicante Bouschet. The result is a beautiful violet and ruby libation that is floral on the nose and lush on the palate. Flavors of currant and wild berries mingle with mineral tones and light smokiness. It’s a masterpiece we know you’ll love!

You can pick up your Wine Club at either of our locations. If you’d like delivery, you can credit the value of your selection towards our $70 order minimum for complimentary delivery in DC. If you’d prefer curbside pick up, please call ahead the day you’d like to pick up. We look forward to seeing you at either location!