This week we celebrate the art of the blend. Portugal’s Douro Valley has historically been known for its impressive Port wines which combine several types of red grapes into a rich, fortified wine, but the same grapes can be used to make impressive table wines when skillfully blended. The Symington family has been making Port for five generations, and when they turned their blending expertise to table wines, the result was Altano Red, a harmonized combination of the grapes that the Port trade was built on, ready for the dinner table. Altano Red 2020 is a perfect example of the perfect blend.
Tasting Notes: Altano Red combines Tempranillo and local Portuguese grapes Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca, revealing scented floral aromas and focused, fresh fruit. Simultaneously full and silky on the palate, well-defined plum and wild berry flavours come to the foreground, wrapped in soft, ripe tannins and spicy notes. It’s generous, well-structured and elegant.
Enjoy With: Braised and slow roasted lamb or beef short ribs, grilled T-bone or ribeye steak, meatlover’s pizza or rich pasta dishes in red sauce, and semi-hard cheeses like Manchego.
Style: A full-bodied, fruity, red wine.
Terroir/Region: Altano Red is produced from vineyards owned by the Symington family in the Douro Valley of Portugal. Each year, the family’s winemakers are challenged to produce wines that provide a unique expression of this tapestry of vineyards depending on that year’s conditions and characteristics. The ability to blend grapes from throughout the valley enables them to create a balanced expression of the Douro, even in poor vintages!
Producer: Altano was born in 1999 when Symington Family Estates began producing Douro wines from the same vineyards that had always made great Port. The Symington family has been making Port in the Douro for five generations. Today, the family owns the largest collection of individual vineyards in the Douro Valley – a unique landholding of 26 Quintas (estates) in the prime Cima-Corgo and Douro Superior subregions.
Availability: Altano Red 2020 is now available in the Vintages section of your local LCBO as well as for online ordering.
Check LCBO store inventory
Price: $14.95
LCBO #: 579862
Size: 750 mL
Alcohol Content: 12.5% alc./vol.
