Tag Archives: Broadbent

Wine of the week: Broadbent Douro Red 2020

Broadbemt Four Red bottle
Broadbent Douro Red 2020/$10-$16

This Portuguese red blend reminds us heavier wines can still be pleasant

“Smoooth” wine is not the only trend dominating the wine business; there’s also “biggg wine,” aimed at men of a certain age where the point is to make the wine rough and tannic so that one can go around fist-umping after drinking a couple of glasses.

This is not that kind of wine.

Instead, the Broadbent Douro Red 2020 ($13, sample, 13%) is a wine made in a heavier style because that’s what the grapes do when they’re turned into wine. There isn’t any winemaking going on to appeal to specific demographics; in this, it’s what I call an honest wine, in which the winemaker takes what’s there and makes something enjoyable out of it.

In other words, a professional, competent Portuguese red blend (four grapes, including the Portuguese version of tempranillo). That means it’s a little heavier in the mouth than a Spanish tempranillo. But there is also dark red fruit (black raspberries?), softish tannins, and bright acidity. The tasting notes say a bit of spice, and that may well be true.

It needs food, but that’s not a problem this time of year – almost anything on the grill will work, and especially for a Father’s Day barbecue.

Imported by Broadbent Selections

Wine of the week: Broadbent Gruner Veltliner 2021

Broadbent Grüner Veltliner bottle
Broadbent Grüner Veltliner 2021/$11-$18

Once more, the WC finds a gruner that doesn’t make him crazy — which is why wine is so wonderful

Regular readers know that the Wine Curmudgeon has little use for gruner veltliner, a white Austrian grape that has been hip and with it for so long that its original proponents are probably long retired from the wine business.

So what has happened over the past couple of years? The WC has found three gruners worth buying and drinking. Which, if anyone who reads this needs reminding, is one of the wonderful things about wine.

The Broadbent Gruner Veltliner 2021 ($15/1-liter, sample, 12.5%) comes from one of my favorite “value” producers, the same people who bring us the vinho verde that I drink so much of. In this, it’s made along the same lines — varietally correct, not stupid, and a fine value.

Look for a lime and green apple fruit thing, plus some stone fruit if you taste it closely. I didn’t get the white pepper that the wine geeks say is there, but I don’t think the wine is lacking because of that. In the end, it’s dry, pleasantly balanced, and with a long and almost spritzy finish. Just the thing for spring — salads, the first barbecues, and all the rest.

Highly recommended — and, if I could get over my gruner prejudice, a candidate for the 2024 Hall of Fame.

Imported by Broadbent Selections

 

vinho verde review 2017

Wine of the week: Vinho verde 2021

vinho verde 2020Vinho verde 2021: Shortages abound, especially for the least expensive wines, but quality remains high

Two important things to note for the blog’s annual vinho verde post: First, the wines are in short supply in many parts of the country, and especially in Dallas. This, no doubt, is just one more example of pandemic-related supply chain problems.

Second, quality remains high, an impressive achievement given everything going on in wine that works against that these days. I didn’t really taste a poorly made wine this year; that’s the opposite of what happened when I started writing about vinho verde in 2009.

So what do you need to know about vinho verde? It’s a Portuguese white wine (sometimes rose) with a greenish tint that usually doesn’t cost more than $8 (the blog’s vinho verde primer is here). It has a slightly sweet lemon lime flavor, low alcohol, and a little fizz — all of which makes it ideal for hot weather. Most of the cheapest wines, like Santola, Famega, Casal Garcia, and Gazela (and that often have a crab on the label), are made by the same couple of companies but sold under different names to different retailers.

Check out these vinho verde 2021 suggestions:

• Broadbent Vinho Verde NV ($9, purchased, 9%): I’ve been drinking this three or four times a month over the past year, and why not? It’s cheap, well made, and refreshing. Still the vinho that sets the standard — a little sweeter in this version, and more subdued green apple fruit. Imported by Broadbent Selections

• Quinta da Lixa Pouco Comun 2018 ($15, purchased, 13%): This is an example of how much vinho has changed. It’s made with alvarinho, the Portuguese version of Spain’s albarino, instead of the typical blend. In this, it’s less savory than a quality Spanish albarino, but with more soft lemon fruit. Highly recommended. Imported by Grape2Glass

• Vera Vinho Verde 2019 ($10, purchased, 12.5%): This vintage vinho verde has a little more polish and a more refined sweetness than most (sort of lime fruit). It’s a step up from most riesling at that price. Imported by Ole & Obrigado

• Gazela Vinho Verde NV ($8, purchased, 9%): Solid, typical vinho — fizzy lime with a bit of sweetness. If all ordinary vinho was made this well, the wine world would be cheaper and more enjoyable. Imported by Evaton

• Santola Vinho Verde NV ($7, purchased, 9%): The quintessential crab label vinho verde — a bit sweet, lots of sour fruit, and some beer fizz. Make sure it’s chilled, and you’ll drink it until the bottle is gone and and then open another one. Imported by Direct Wine Imports

• Faisao Vinho Verde NV ($7/1-liter bottle, purchased, 10%): No, this isn’t as well done as the rose. But it remains quality wine, and especially for the price and in a liter bottle — sour lime fruit, fizzy, with just enough sweetness. Keep well chilled. Imported by Winesellers Ltd.

For more about vinho verde:
• Vinho verde review 2020
• Vinho verde review 2019
• Vinho verde review 2018
• Winecast 45: DCanter’s Michael Warner and wine retail trends during the durationVinho verde review 2018

vinho verde review 2017

Wine of the week: Vinho verde 2020

vinho verde 2020Vinho verde 2020: Producers are taking the fizzy, sort of sweet Portuguese wine more seriously than ever, and we’re the big winners

This year, for vinho verde 2020, I’m writing something I never thought I would write about vinho verde — several of these wines are candidates for the 2021 $10 Hall of Fame. That’s because the fizzy, sort of sweet Portuguese wine has always been about cheap, and quality often seemed like an accident. This year, though, the four wines I tasted were cheap and well made.

Vinho verde is a Portuguese white wine with a greenish tint that rarely costs more than $8 (the blog’s vinho verde primer is here). It has a slightly sweet lemon lime flavor, low alcohol, and a little fizz — all of which makes it ideal for hot weather. Most of the cheapest wines, like Santola, Famega, Casal Garcia, and Gazela, are made by the same couple of companies but sold under different names to different retailers.

Check out these vinho verde 2020 suggestions:

• Broadbent Vinho Verde NV ($9, purchased, 9%): This is the vinho that sets the standard, and the current bottling doesn’t disappoint. Not quite as sweet as last year, with more of a tart, green apple fruitiness.  Imported by Broadbent Selections

• Gazela Vinho Verde NV ($8, purchased, 9%): Solid, typical vinho — fizzy lime with a bit of sweetness. If all ordinary vinho was made this well, the wine world would be cheaper and more enjoyable. Imported by Evaton

• Aveleda Vinho Verde Fonte 2019 ($10, purchased, 9.5%): Perhaps the best vinho verde I’ve ever tasted — so much more than the usual. There’s a bit of structure, the tartness is fresh and limey, the fizz is legit, and the sweetness is buried in the back. Highly recommended. Imported by Aveleda, Inc.

• Faisao Vinho Verde NV ($5/1-liter bottle, purchased, 10%): Is this the best vinho verde on the list? Nope. Is it the best value? Probably, since it’s quality wine (sour lime fruit, fizzy, with just enough of an idea of sweetness) that comes in a liter bottle. Keep well chilled. Imported by Winesellers Ltd.

For more about vinho verde:
• Vinho verde review 2019
• Vinho verde review 2018
• Vinho verde review 2017

vinho verde review 2015

Vinho verde review 2016

vinho verdePremiumization has come to vinho verde, the cheap Portuguese white wine with a little fizz and a greenish tint. In this case, though, that’s not a bad thing.

Too many of the vinhos in the U.S. are non-vintage blends that are indifferently made, with the focus on cranking out as much as possible. The Portuguese, seeing a chance to upgrade quality and sell more expensive wine in the process, have started offering single varietal and vintage vinhos to Americans. The good news is that theses wines are better than the traditional blends, yet still cost around $10.

Our vinho verde primer is here; also know that the wine can be slightly sweet and should usually be served as cold as possible. These four wines will get you started, but these days, there are many to choose from.

• Quinta de Raza Rose 2015 ($10, sample, 11.5%): Find this for $9, and buy a case – it’s almost sweet, refreshingly tingly, and with summery red fruit. It’s a little simple for $10, and hence the caveat, but still well made and enjoyable pink wine.

• Gazela Vinho Verde NV ($6, purchased, 9%): This is probably the best of the traditional $5 and $6 vinhos that include Santola, Sonalta, and Famega (and that are made by the same couple of producers). That means fizzy and almost sweet, and with soft lemon-lime fruit. You can drink it all day and barely notice.

• Quinta da Lixa Pouco Comum 2015 ($13, sample, 13.5%): Vinho as wine and not as a novelty. That means no fizz and varietal character – made with the Portuguese version of albarino, though it’s a little more tart than its Spanish cousin, with more lemon. Nicely done.

• Broadbent Vinho Verde NV ($8, purchased, 9%): A step up from the Gazelas and Famegas, though more traditional this year – more fizz, less structure, but still top quality vinho.

For more on vinho verde:
• Vinho verde review 2015
• Vinho verde review 2014
• Vinho verde review 2013

 

Vinho verde review 2015

vinho verde review 2015There is good news for the vinho verde review 2015, a welcome development after last year’s vinho verde oddness that included expensive vinho verde of surprisingly poor quality. Each of the four wines I tasted were well made and worth buying, and three of them surpassed expectations.

Vinho verde is the cheap Portuguese white wine with a little fizz and a greenish tint, sometimes slightly sweet and perfect for summer. Our vinho verde primer is here; these wines will get you started. If the prices seem high, I bought three at Whole Foods, which isn’t shy about markups, so they’re probably a couple of bucks less elsewhere.

• Broadbent Vinho Verde NV ($8, purchased, 9%): Maybe the best vinho verde I’ve ever tasted, in that it tastes like wine and not a fizzy wine cooler. Look for almost apple aromas, apple and lime fruit, and a stony finish. Highly recommended.

• Santola Vinho Rose NV ($8, purchased, 11%): This pink vinho, made with red grapes, was much better than it should have been — not sweet, and with a strawberry-lemon flavor. That it doesn’t have much going on after the fruit and a sort of a bitter finish isn’t necessarily a problem.

• Famega Vinho Verde NV ($6, purchased, 10.5%): One of the biggest producers offers a wine that is more sour this year and less fruity, but with decent enough fizz. It was a step up from the usual slightly sweet version.

• Santola Vinho Verde NV ($8, purchased, 9%): This is the other big producer, called Sonalto in some parts of the country, and known for its crab label. This year’s effort was typical — fresh, spritzy, a touch of lime, and a hint of sweetness.

For more on vinho verde:
• Vinho verde review 2014
• Vinho verde review 2013
• Vinho verde review 2012