🇵🇹Are you a fan of Portuguese wine?🍷 ⠀
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'No' is not an option here. I can't accept it. I'm plugging my ears and singing loudly if you're telling me no, because there's no way, in my mind, that it could be true.🤷🏽♀️⠀
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Why? Because Portugal has it all! AND it's affordable!⠀
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🍇This is a country that has over 250 indigenous varieties, so it makes sense that you might not recognise the grape on the label. Don't let that intimidate you. These wines are well-worth the effort of understanding.⠀
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To start, here are a few key translations:⠀
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Vinho = Wine⠀
Tinto = Red⠀
Branco = White⠀
Rosado = Rosé⠀
Quinta = Wine Farm / Adega = Winery⠀
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I don't have space here to cover all the regions and their styles, but I'll start with a few ☺️⠀
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DOURO⠀
This is one of the oldest demarcated wine regions in the world. Its stunning terraced hills have been worked by hand for thousands of years and the entire region is a UNESCO world heritage site.⠀
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Though, traditionally, Douro is most famous for Port, be sure not to overlook the rest. Here, the reds tend to be full-bodied and age-worthy with gorgeous high tannins. The whites are light-bodied, crisp and mineral-driven. ⠀
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VINHO VERDE⠀
A region in the far north of Portugal that includes the historic Minho province. The name translates to 'young wine', as it is released 3-6 months after harvest and intended for early consumption. The V. Verde DOC also permits the production sparkling wines.⠀
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The whites often have a slight spritz to them and are light-bodied with aromatic notes of melon & gooseberry. The rosés have great acidity and lots of red berry flavours, while the reds are dark, high in acidity and typically lower in alcohol.⠀
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ALENTEJO⠀
South of the river Tejo in Eastern Portugal, this well-known, highly respected region covers about a third of the country. ⠀
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Known for its range of reds that go from quaffable and easy drinking, up to top quality fine wines that are rich and ripe with refined tannins and hints of mocha. The whites range from light-bodied, refreshing and tropical, to full-bodied, barrel-fermented wines.⠀
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I'd love to get into detail about grapes, but I'll save that for next time 😃⠀
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#Portugal #wine
🥂Happy Friday Vinophiles! 🤔Do you like wine bars? Do you have a favourite local spot that you miss right now? ⠀
With social-distancing and quarantines in place worldwide, it's no secret that restaurants and wine bars are struggling😥. So if you can, there's no better time than now to support your favourite local spots. ⠀
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If you're buying your wines at a supermarket chain because it's more convenient, please think again. Supermarkets aren't at risk of going under right now (they're selling PLENTY of toilet paper), but your local wine bar culture is!!😳 ⠀
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So the next time you're feeling thirsty, pick up the phone and give your favourite place a call. A lot of small shops, bars and restaurants are depending on this. And a lot of them will even deliver! ⠀
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Today I picked up a healthy order of wine from one of my absolute favourite local spots here in Düsseldorf, @eiskellerbar . Cheers to them for always having an incredible selection of wine, and for being the most welcoming wine bar in town.🤗🥂 ⠀
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Tag your favourite wine bars, restaurants and wine shops in the comments! I'm sure they can all use a little extra lovin' right now.♥️⠀
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#thewinegirl #notawinesnob #support #saverestaurants #rallyforrestaurants #savewinebars #winebar #wine #supportlocalrestaurants #supportlocalbusiness #supportlocal #stillopen #wereopen #curbside #delivery #winedelivery #carryout #eiskeller #wein #covid #stopcovid #staysafe #stayhome #winetasting #localbar #local #friday #vinophile #happyfriday #weekendwine⠀
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📓Chronicles 'Pre-Relevance' Continued...✏️⠀
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🏙️Life in the Big Apple was cool – a totally different vibe than London of course, but I loved it. I lived up in Harlem on the corner of 135th and Lenox in the same building where Cam’ron and Big L used to live (these names will ring a bell if you were a fan of hip-hop/rap in the 90’s – R.I.P. Big L).🎤👊🏾🙏 ⠀
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🤷🏽♀️It seemed like people were friendlier once you got up past Central Park and away from the rush. I got to know my neighbours pretty quickly. My favourite was definitely Million - she was a hoot. She called me Snowflake ❄️ for months, until a couple of my 🇸🇪Swedish girlfriends moved in and we became the ‘Charlie’s Angels’.😂⠀
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Yep, Miss Million always kept us up to speed on the neighbourhood juice. Unfortunately, however, she was not around to give us a heads-up the day the police were controlling the rooftops of all the brownstones on our block...🌇👮🏻♂️👮🏾♂️ ⠀
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🎰You see, the three of us thought we'd hit the jackpot when we discovered that the door to the roof was kept unlocked. ☀️After-all, it was spring in New York. We'd just gotten into the habit of sun-bathing up there!👙😎 ⠀
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Anyway, let’s just say the cops got a pretty good surprise when they found the angels up there topless soaking up the rays.😂👌 @__vagablondee @amjosve ⠀
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To be continued...⠀
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#thewinegirl #notawinesnob #truestroy ⠀
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#lifestory #chronicles #realtalk #charliesangels #million #snowflake #harlem #newyork #nyc #brownstone #newyorkcity #bigl #rip #bigapple #sun #tanning #sunbathing #topless #surprise #police #cops #jackpot #wineblog #winestagram #suntan #spring #tobecontinued
