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Staff Selections •Peter Plaehn


Seasonal Pick 2025

Casal do Ramilo Tinto Colheita Touriga/Aragonez

(Lisboa, Portugal )

Surdyk's Price

Sold out

There are lots of new things happening in Portugal. Mostly gone are the days of reds being simple blends, rosés being sweet jug wine, and the only whites you could find were spritzy Vinho Verdes. VV is still popular, of course, but there are “serious” wines without spritz that stand up or exceed the best whites of Spain and Italy and the reds are getting lighter and fresher, often with little to no use of oak. The wines are distinctly Portuguese instead of trying to emulate more well-known countries or international trends. The Ramilo family has owned their vineyard since the 1930s but has mostly focused on distribution and marketing of wines from other regions. Four generations later, brothers Nuno and Pedro decided to rebuild the family vineyards in the VR Lisboa region. The Tinto Colheita (which just means “harvest” in Portuguese table wine) is a blend of three Iberian varieties: 50% Castelão, an indigenous Portuguese variety; 25% Touriga Nacional, the main grape used in Port wines; and 25% Aragonez, which across the border in Spain is the famous Tempranillo. Organically-farmed estate vineyards, hand-picked fruit, no use of oak and a mild 13% ABV makes this a $15 wine that drinks like a $20 bottle. Flavors of lively dark fruits, cherries and savory herbs with a fresh vitality indicative of this new wave of wines coming from the country. It works with food or alone, a burger or a patio. Tremendous quality and value for the price, in my opinion. I hope you agree!