Esporao Trincadeira - A Delicious Investigation • Reverse Wine Snob®

Exploring lesser-known varieties often has a big pay-off.

100% Trincadeira from 40 year old vines in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The wine was fermented and aged for 6 months in cement tanks and has just 2.3 g/L of residual sugar.

Sample submitted for review. The Esporao Trincadeira has an SRP of $14 and is available for as low as $12. Ready to buy? Check your local retailers. Imported by Aidil Wines & Liquors.

From the bottle:

Esporao Estate: Located near Reguengos de Monsaraz, the Esporao Estate has kept its boundaries’ unchanged for more than 700 years. The combination of its diverse geology, poor and stony soils, high thermic amplitude, dry climate and warm ripening temperatures, create the agricultural conditions that we seek to optimize with integrated production.

Trincadeira grapes typically produce rich, well rounded wines with ripe fruit flavours and soft tannins allowing them to be consumed at an early stage. It is an important local variety contributing greatly to the growth and success of the region’s red wines over recent decades. Grown on the Esporao estate since 1974 in schist/granitic soils, the grapes were hand-picked, vinified in concrete vats, where it aged for 6 months. We bottled 10,000 litres in March 2016.

14.5% Alcohol

Trincadeira, a grape grown primarily in Portugal, is typically found in Port wines or the excellent red blends of the area. It’s not a grape you often find as a single varietal and when it is, it’s probably not something the average consumer even recognizes. That’s a shame because this grape makes some excellent wine!

The 2015 Esporao Trincadeira begins with an aromatic and inviting aroma of plum and red berry along with plenty of earthy spice notes. The medium-bodied wine features similar flavors to the nose when tasting. Smooth, soft tannins; good balance; good acidity; and tons of spice all work together nicely to make a really pleasant, easy-drinker. It ends dry with plenty of fruit and earthy spice that lasts for quite a long time in the mouth. It’s really excellent at only $12!

This wine is also a great example of what you can find when you follow Tenet #3 of our Ten Tenets of Reverse Wine Snobbery!