Moncur Cellars: Spanish and Portuguese Wine Tasting

Moncur Cellars held a Spanish and Portuguese Wine Tasting night with over 20 wines on taste. Taking place in the Tasting Room of their premises in Woollahra, the event was an opportunity to taste and become acquainted with a range of wines and grape varietals from various regions in Spain and Portugal.

Portuguese white wines included the 2008 Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Branco from Beiras in the north of Portugal, a fresh and light wine with a slight peach character and the 2008 Quinta do Ameal Loureiro, an unusually scented and dry white from the Minho region.

White wines from Spain and Portugal

Some notable whites from Spain included the 2008 La Purisima Estio Blanco from the town of Yecla in the province of Murcia, an easy to drink white made with 100% macabeo grapes and the 2010 El Prado Blanco from Valencia, combinin Macabeo grapes with Chardonnay resulting in a dry and fruity wine. The favourite from the white wine tasting was a stunning 2009 Terra D’Ouro Albariño, made with 100% albariño grapes from the Rías Baixas region in Galicia.

Two Rosé wines from Spain were on taste, the 2010 El Prado Tempranillo Rosé, a pleasant and light rosé with berry notes and the 2009 La Purisima Estio Rosado with a more fruity nose.

Rosé wines from Spain

The red wines raised the tasting a few notches starting with the entry point 2010 El Prado Rosso, a fruity red wine with a long dry finish made with a Tempranillo and Cabernet blend.

Red wines from Spain and Portugal

Among the favourites, the 2005 Ysios Reserva Rioja, a robust complex and elegant wine made from 100% Tempranillo, the 2007 Alvaro Castro Dao from Portugal using Touriga Nacional grape variety and the 2006 Secret Spot Vale da Poupa Reserve Douro Tinto, a full bodied elegant wine with ripe fruit on the nose at the top of the range.

Port tastings consisted of two varieties from Croft, one of the original port houses established in 1588.

Croft Pink Port

The Croft Pink Port, from Douro in Portugal is a rosé style of Port, with flavours extracted with limited contact with the skins of grapes. Popular in Europe as an aperitif served chilled with a slice of orange, the flavour is fresh and fruity and can be enjoyed on summer days.

Croft 20 Year Old Tawny Port

To finish off, the Croft Aged Tawny Port was a luscious drop, aged in oak for 20 years then bottled for immediate drinking.

Moncur Cellars’ Spanish and Portuguese Wine Tasting was held on the evening of Thursday 21 July 2011.

Moncur Cellars is part of the Woollahra Hotel encompassing our long-time favourites Bistro Moncur and Moncur Terrace.

Moncur Cellars
60 Moncur Street
Woollahra NSW 2025
woollahrahotel.com.au