This past weekend was another lovely wine club evening. This time, we explored the many grape varieties of Portugal, Greece (and heck, we threw in a Croatian Rose just for fun!). It was all complemented by a lovely menu and what will be revealed to you as a very aesthetically interesting dessert.
We kicked it off with Basil and Feta Cheese Spread on Crostini and Olive Tapenade on Pita. Okay, so before I go any further ... there was one key ingredient in much of the food ... salt ... and if you know me ... you know I LOVE salt. I love it in fact so much that when someone said that they could taste the salt in the olives, I was oblivious because I was loving it so much. The cheese spread was so delish. The wine that complemented these appetizers was called Achaia Clauss. This little Greek white was unlike anything I've ever tasted. At first whiff, it had a strong alcohol smell. It was very dry, and tasted of butterscotch and lime. (Yes, butterscotch and lime are not a typical combination, so you understand why it was a very new flavor profile for me.) It was very smooth and caught brighter as I had more of the olives. 
We then enjoyed a Greek Salad with Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Oregano paired with a Korta Katarina. This was the pink Croatian treat. I'm not typically a fan of Roses, and this one unfortunately, didn't become the exception. It was fruity and sour with almost a bitter taste. I won't discount Croatian wines yet ... 
We moved onto our main dish which was Carne de Porco Estufado com Leite (Milk-Braised Pork Loin) and Portuguese Sweet Bread. Okay ... I love the other white meat and this other white meat had a sweet gravy ... so I knew I was on to a good thing ... but I will confess ... it was the bread I was really digging. It was sweet, yummy, carbolicious goodness. And the hostess made it from scratch (by the way, Gretchen, you still owe me the recipe!) The first wine we tried with it was the 2007 Altano Douro. This was lightly fragrant and tasted of vibrant cherries. It was a very smooth wine (and at less than $10 a true bargain.) It definitely qualified for me as an excellent table wine ... and it's lightness worked for a summer evening.
The next red was Nemea Boutari. This was a slightly bolder smelling and tasting wine. It had a bit of a peppery kick, but rolled on the tongue like a lush thick zinfandel. It definitely had more tannins and a much longer finish than the Altano -- but still a decent wine for a reasonable price.
The last red of the evening was the 2002 Monte das Anforas. This was a very smoky, woody wine with just a hint of cherry in it for me. It again was smooth and something that you could drink on it's own if you'd like. It was my least favorite of the three reds, but I wouldn't turn it down if it was the only red in town.
We capped off the night with the most visually interesting dessert I think to hit wine club. In fact, I thought it only fair that I share a picture with you:
I'm a big fan of figs, so these Figs Stuffed with Almonds and Chocolate were an excellent end to the evenings palette, but I will admit we all did a double-take when they were first brought out. We also ended the evening with the Gazela Vinho Verde. This little white is effervescent, so yes, there's a little bit of bubbly. Now, while I'm usually one to refuse the bubbly normally, I could enjoy this one, especially on a hot summer night. It was very fruity, very light and tasted of pears to me. (Others felt it reflected more of an apple and comparisons to this elusive Crispin ... were once again made.)All in all, from a wine standpoint, I don't think it's my favorite region, but as we learned, it's a region that's fairly new to the world of wine, so I'll attribute it to that they are still working out some kinks. I'm excited for our next adventure ... the land of Germany on a hot June night ... what could be better?
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