Douro – the table wines

The following 88 notes were taken in the Douro in the July heat of high summer, where heavyweight reds are hardly the order of the day. Much more impressive, then, that they all seemed so balanced, especially carrying the alcoholic baggage that many of them do, with one even tipping the scales at an (un-fortified!) 16.4% abv.

As I previewed in Bucking Broncos from the Douro, the whites are unexpectedly good, and deserve serious attention – perhaps especially so as a contrast to the density of those reds.

The Secret Spot wines are an interesting concept – single-vineyard wines whose...