The Best Beverage is Portuguese

[Andrea Sloan]

Fatima Pereira is passionate about wine. As the owner of Best Beverage, a local wine distributor, she exudes enthusiasm for all of her products. Her portfolio is made up of wines from around the world, including California, Italy, Spain, and South America, (having tasted many of these, I can attest to the fact that Fatima knows her stuff) but it’s clear that Portuguese wines hold a special place in her heart. Her experience with wine began when she was a child in Portugal. In the summertime, her mother would add sugar and water to the wine her father made in the cellar of their home; voilà: a rustic and lightly intoxicating kool-aid was created. This may have been Fatima’s first experience with wine, but it hardly defined her taste. The arc from light, sugary wines to a more refined palate also reflects how the Portuguese table wine industry, and its reputation around the world, has changed.

(The Best Beverage Warehouse. Fatima prefers to keep a low profile; that's her behind the door.)

When Fatima first started working for a distributor, over twenty years ago, Portuguese wines were a “very tough sell.” Neither retailers nor consumers were willing to take a chance on wines from Portugal. But, as Fatima says: “these days, there is great interest in wines made from traditional Portuguese grape varietals. In the past ten years I’ve seen a great difference in the Portuguese wine market. With efforts from producers and the press, the publics’ perception of wines from the region has finally begun to change.” Now, a customer at a restaurant or wine shop can be easily steered to a bottle from Portugal; often that customer is curious to try something new that is usually a great value as well.

Getting the public to take Portuguese wines more seriously is made easier by the fact that producers in regions such as the Douro, Dão, and Bairrada aren’t messing around; they’re making serious, complex, hand-crafted wines, capable of competing with longer-established, better-known wine producing areas. These regions in Northern Portugal, especially the Douro Valley, which Fatima says is going “full-out new wave, no longer playing second fiddle to the rest of Europe”, and Dão produce wines that are full-bodied, meaty, and age-worthy.

Northern Portugal also offers plenty of inexpensive whites that can please the palate of many a wine snob. There’s nothing better than a cool, crisp Vinho Verde (usually a blend of grapes from the region) on a hot summers’ day. Or Fatima’s favorite: a clean and refreshing single varietal Alvarinho. Both of these wines are great examples of everyday Portuguese whites that are perfect as an aperitif, or paired with lighter summer fare, such as salads and seafood.

As a business, Best Beverage likes to keep things small and personal: Fatima’s husband and daughter are both active in the company, whether it’s making deliveries, managing the warehouse (which is extremely neat and organized), pouring at tastings, or handling paperwork. Many of the wines they distribute are also from small, family operated producers who take great pride in their product. This philosophy of acknowledging the person behind the product is especially important in our current atmosphere of mass-produced/mass-marketed food and beverages. To know a bit of the story behind the bottle, and the people who brought you that bottle, helps keep us connected to what we consume; through supporting our local small businesses, such as Best Beverage, we stay connected to our own community as well. So the next time you’re at a restaurant or wine shop, request a bottle of Portuguese wine. If you’re lucky, and the restaurant is savvy, they’ll be pouring it by the glass.

Here are some current Best Beverage offerings, along with Fatima’s pairing suggestions:

Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde 2007 - $9
Alvarinho, Loureiro, Trajadura
Fresh and lively, with pear, lemon and peach on the nose and palate.
Can be enjoyed as an aperitif or with light salads - my favorite: crostini of lobster and sweet peas or shrimp with garlic sauce.

Aveleda Alvarinho Branco – $13
Clean and dry, with pears, citrus and light spice on the palate.
Perfect with seafood, especially oysters, wood grilled sepia fish brushed with extra virgin olive oil, or little necks clam stew with chourizo.

Quinta das Baceladas 2004- $20
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Baga
Blackcurrant, cherry and peppery notes mingle nicely with spicy oak. Rich, dark and smooth with ripe, firm tannins and a lasting finish.
Great with barbeque chicken, fettuccine with roasted lamb ragu,
Carne de Porco Alentejana (marinated pork with potatoes and little necks)

Herdade do Esporaó Syrah 2004 - $20
Truffles, plums, chocolate and a touch of mushrooms on the nose. Dark, dried fruit wrapped around a mineral core. Smooth and juicy, with elegant tannins and a long finish.

Herdade do Esporaó Verdelho 2006- $13
Fresh and balanced, with touches of mango and pineapple, tempered by bright acidity and a mineral core. The mouth-feel hints at richness but stays clean and lively.

Meandro do Vale Meao 2005- $28
#64 on Wine Spectators’ Top 100 of 2007.
Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Amarela.
Dark and lush, with blueberries and spice on the nose. Rich, ripe, and concentrated with black currant, blueberries and hints of chocolate on the palate.
Great with red meats, fillet, and osso buco.

[Michael A. Baum]

Ok so now I'm really wanting to know... onde e' que e' Best beverage? I usually buy at Gasbarros in east providence or Seabra's in Fall River but Fatima is probably their source for stuff, so please tell me how to get to the source! Fatima do you sell cases retail directly from your warehouse? We're big fans of Portuguese wine (my wife is an Alfacinha), especially Alentejo and Palmela reds, Esporao white, Pera-manca (both whites from Alentejo) and just about any Bucelas (pronounced 'Boo-sell-ish') white from the micro-region around Colares. In general I've always found it harder to find tasty whites that are under $13 or so than reds in the same price ballpark. I rarely splurge for whites more expensive than that, Pera-manca being the exception. That said, Portugal has been getting more and more sophisticated at marketing its high-end wines in the right places, but my favorite thing is to look for the really inexpensive Portuguese wines that haven't yet become popular. Some years ago that was Santa Catarina red from Palmela. I think I paid about 3 Euros/bottle for a case while were in Lisbon for the summer and man that drank almost as nicely as our perennial favorite red, Esporao Tinto (usually about $14-15 retail). There are a ton of relatively new reds being produced in Alentejo that must be fantastic (the Corte de Cima and related reds from this grower in Vidigueira who's from Denmark I think and uses organic methods; Quinta de Terrugem; several others I can't recall from my wonderings in Continente this past August), but their prices are now directly proportional to the market niches they seek to occupy. Many are now over $30 US a bottle, which means I almost never get to taste them! Happy to hear about Fatima and best beverage, now just need to find it... Michael

[Dave and Paul]

bravo andrea. love fatima. she came by a staff menu tasting at new rivers awhile back at bruce's invite. charming and professional. the wines are delicious and of course so much more than just the one white that everyone seems to pour. cheers. dave

[Steve Soper]

I have to say this is exactly what Providence needs -- more personal insight into the local wine scene! Thanks Andrea!

[Alz]

I saw Fatima this past weekend at Sakonnet Vineyards for the women Chefs event. She's a terrific person that knows her wine! Really enjoyed the ones she brought to the event!

[ozymandias]

Many overlook the various and varied wine regions of Portugal, other than the Douro (such as the Dão, Alentejo, Ribatejo, and Estremadura regions - all unique and worthy of scrutiny and all with amazing varietals and wines) and, hence, miss out on some of the best food wines, and best values, in the world. Thanks for the thoughtful piece, both for its introduction to Portuguese wines and for its support of a small, independent distributor.

Allow me to offer up a couple of further examples of wines from Portugal worthy of a search for their quality and value:

2004 Quinta Da Alorna Tinto, Ribatejo, Portugal
This is some really sexy stuff! Fleshy elegant with mouth-coating black fruit, minerals and beautifully integrated dark spice.The Vinho Tinto Ribatejano (2004), is a four-grape blend of Tinta Roriz (known as Tempranillo in Spain), Castelao (A productive Portuguese varietal found throughout the southern half of the country, which produces a hardy and robust red wine packed with raspberries and spices.) , Syrah, and Alicante Bouschet. I’d recommend pairing this wine with Taleggio, a washed-rind, Italian cheese.

Bons Ares Branco, Ramos Pinto, 2006: The wine is made of the indigenous varietal of Viozinho and Sauvignon Blanc. It is golden in color, aromatic, with hints of cinnamon, baked apples, and substantial weight on the finish. It is perfect with seafood, even with spicy sauces, as the acidity, perhaps from the Sauvignon Blanc, provides balance and symmetry.

Thanks again for the insightful piece and the fine suggestions.