Third party endorsements are what turn us on, regardless of what anyone wants to say. We crave what others think and know; otherwise, there would be nothing for writers to do with their time.

For some, it’s in a number. I believe we were taught this in preschool or kindergarten, when we were graded on that first paper. Simplistically, it all began with that first an A, B, or C… or… yes, the D’s.

Then we got into first grade, and it switched to the 0 – 100 scale.

My favorite score of all time for me was when I got 12 points on my final exam in geometry. I decided to just put my name, the date, and home room number on my exam. My teacher Mos Nanigan gave me twelve points for knowing that much. He was also the sports manager of my high school, and liked young, spirited sophomores. I was the local fashion model, and I think that that also bought me a few more points for the year, because I passed geometry without studying… My loss. I do still remember, however, that the shortest distance between two spaces is a straight line. That’s some of the best advice I’ve received in my life. So I guess I did deserve to pass geometry, in some ways, or it wouldn’t have happened.

Scoring the Alentejo…

ALENTEJO WINE

The Wine Advocate ~ Mark Squires

Parker’s Wine Bargains: The World’s Best Wine Values under $25 (published, 2009). “Portugal is full of fine values that manage to make it to international markets despite the exchange rate fluctuations that wreak havoc on retail pricing here… Plus, they come in distinctive blends that are hard to replicate elsewhere… s well as reasonably priced for the most part… Alentejo’s wines are immensely popular in Portugal. Transitionally, it is one of the go-to regions for value wines. The wines here are frequently called “international” for their tendency to blen red grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah with local grapes like Trincadeira, Alicante Bouchet (French, but perhaps at its best in southern Portugal), and others.”

Eric Asimov ~ New York Times

Today, Portugal is a source of distinctive wines. More than anything, these wines struck me as honest. They do not try to imitate flavors and styles that are popular elsewhere.

Jancis Robinson

Portugal’s advantage in wine terms – its isolation, which has kept its inheritance of indigenous vine varieties intact and virtually unaffected by Chardonnay- and Cabernet-mania – has also been its disadvantage. The Portuguese have had this strange habit of… making wines to suit the palates of other Portuguese rather than making the sort of fruity, juicy-yet-structured wines that appeal to the majority of the world’s wine consumers. The wines that have traditionally been most respected within Portugal are incredibly tough reds that have typically spent rather too long in storage before being bottled and some slightly tired whites whose unfamiliar flavours may strike some outsiders as slightly rank. In fact Portugal has some first-class raw materials and is increasingly demonstrating the will and skill with which to transform them into exportable wines.

It is so sad that top-quality Portuguese wine is not has much widely known and appreciated. Admittedly, the fact that Portugal now has such a vibrant wine culture (I’m told that something like seven annual wine guides are published in Portugal) has meant that prices for wines most highly regarded by the Portuguese have escalated, but these wines have such a strong personality, I don’t think any interested drinker should deny themselves the Portuguese experience.

Portuguese wine is well placed to take advantage of current fashion for “heritage varieties.”

1999… “The Alentejo Region, hot and dry, in the southeast, is perhaps the most promising source of accessible table wines, full-bodied, with intense colours… and this is without a doubt one of the most promising wine growing regions in the world.”

Wine & Spirits Magazine ~ Joshua Greene, Editor and publisher

I believe that if Portugal puts its strengths first, if producers follow the lead of the great partisans of their regional wine, the artisans working with ancient vines, the curators of old mixed varietal plantings, the growers producing astonishing and graceful single vineyard wines, if commercial producers creatively build on these regional traditions rather than model their wines after the New World, the long term growth of Portugal’s wines in the US market is assured.

Few countries, if any, can compete with Portugal’s treasure of varietal diversity and the territorial diversity that sustains it. Certainly, the production of single variety wines is part of the process of understanding that diversity. But the real asset, the value in that varietal diversity, is the complexity of the blend.

American wine drinkers are more likely to find consistency buying regional blends than varietal wines from range of different Portuguese regions. Top quality regional blends as well as entertaining, creative riffs on these traditional wines will educate consumers and serve to build brand Portugal. My advice: Sustain the priceless diversity in your vineyards and use it to produce the refined and elegant wines that have made Portugal famous for centuries. The 21st century will be better for it.

Gary Vaynerchuck (US) on the Alentejo Wine Region

“I’m addicted to Portuguese wines, as a whole, as a movement. I think Portugal is bringing the best dollar for dollar value play in the US wine market, today.”

DrinksAreOnMe.net ~ Dale Cruz

Portuguese White Wines: Long On Flavor, Short On Price (Originally published Oct. 21, 2008. Reposted: Tuesday, March 9, 2010)

Richard Mayson (United Kingdom, 2003)

“The south of Portugal is producing wines with clearly defined fruity flavours that are delighting the international palate without sacrificing their own identity.”

Wine & dine Magazine ~ Leena Ng (Singapore, 2009)

“The Alentejo led the way in the revolution of Portuguese wines. It is a region that has enjoyed an extraordinary success in the last decade.”

Dionísio Chaves (Brazil, 2009)

“The wines from the Alentejo have a fine balance between production, quality and price, thus providing a pleasure that is unique.”

TRAVEL FOR THE ALENTEJO

ROBERT GOFF ~ New York Times, Nov. 8, 2009 ~ Alto Alentejo, Unsung but Not for Long

RICK STEVES ~ CNN, Jun. 6, 2008 ~ Portugal: Humble Alentejo not without charm

TELEGRAPH.CO.UK, May 2008 ~ Alentejo: Portugal’s golden plain