Category: International

This budget-friendly red blend will give you a ‘chewy’ taste of Portugal, writes Neil Pendock

There are three lazy ways to experience Lisbon without leaving your couch.

If you’re arty, watch Lisbon Story by Wim Wenders on YouTube – a moody flick which put the fado/folk group Madredeus on the map. Fans of Jeremy Irons can hire Night Train to Lisbon for a soppy romantic story, while the thirsty can quaff this delicious red blend with a cartoon of an iconic Lisbon tram on the label.

A chewy blend of Aragonez, Castelão, and Touriga Nacional, this wine shot to prominence when it was featured on a BBC Saturday morning cooking programme. Celebrity chef James Martin raved about it and even bought three cases. He must have paid close to £7.50 (R125) a bottle, while in Lisbon it changes hands for €3.80 (R54) – only 10% more than at Checkers.

Great with Nando’s chicken, leitão assado (roast suckling pig) or feijão (black bean stew). Aragonez (also known as Tempranillo) is from Aragon, the medieval Spanish kingdom at the foot of the Pyrenees, while folks in Calitzdorp will be more familiar with its Port persona: Tinta Roriz.