Mama Loves Vinho: Trying out Portuguese Wines in Singapore

Looking for some delicious, good value wines to add to your rotation, mamas? We got the inside scoop on some old world vintages that are ready to make a new splash in Singapore…

Like most mamas, for me there are certain days where just about nothing but a nice glass of wine can help take the edge off. Maybe the baby was being extra fussy, maybe I got caught in the rain, maybe work emails just never stopped flooding my inbox.

Whatever the reason, there are few things as relaxing as closing up the laptop, curling up on the couch, pouring a glass of vino and taking a nice deep exhale. AAAAAHHHH.

With this in mind, I was delighted to attend a recent even highlighting Portuguese wines in Singapore. Hosted in collaboration between the Embassy of Portugal and five leading Portuguese wine distributors here in Singers, it brought together food and beverage enthusiasts along with guests from the financial sector and diplomatic corps.

As a mama who works at home, I felt quite fabulous nipping away after bathtime to go rub shoulders with various diplomats, including the Portuguese Ambassador himself, H.E. Alfonso Henriques de Azeredo Malheiro!

The event took place at SuperTree by IndoChine at Gardens by the Bay. With its panoramic windows and breezy rooftop bar, it was a great spot to sip on wines, nibble on the delicious pan-Asian hors d’oeuvres and learn more about Portugal’s burgeoning presence on the Asian wine scene.

In total there were more than 30 wines available for sampling (I had to pick and sip very carefully, else I probably would have passed out before I could make it to the taxi stand!). I was familiar with Portugal’s most famous wine, Port, a luscious fortified wine that’s lovely with desserts or after dinner, but also discovered some much lighter varietals that were perfect and refreshing for the Singapore heat.

Among my favourites was the semi-sparkling Casal Garcia “Vinho Verde” from producer Aveleda, available from Singapore’s VivaVino. Almost clear in appearance with a slight lime green hue, this very young wine was delicate and fruity, and would be great paired with a salad or something fresh and zesty like fish. It would also be perfect for a pre-dinner drink on the balcony or sitting by the pool!

On the other end of the spectrum was a very enjoyable “Licoroso” dessert wine from top distributor Alentasia. The 2007 vintage from producer Herdade do Mouchão was named among the 50 Best Portuguese Wines in the world by UK expert Julia Harding in 2012. It was rich and deeply satisfying; all that was missing was a nice slice of chocolate cake!

Good value shop Straits Wine Company was also on the scene, offering up a choice of two reds and two whites to try. I quite liked the red “Reserva” wine at their table, though I’ve not been able to find any info on the producer! I also enjoyed chatting with their highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic team, who I’m sure can help sort you out, mama!

Other distributors on hand included Herdade da Cardeira and Quinta do Zambujeiro. Portugal has in total 26 different DOC classified regions for its wines, and nine different regions with varying climates (from the Douro in the Northeast to the sun-soaked Algarve in the South), all making for a wide variety of flavours and vintages that the world is just starting to discover. I highly suggest you give Portugal a try next time you’re looking for that end-of-a-long-day pick-me-up, mama!