Behind the Cork™ - Lisboa Bonita Red Blend

Lisboa Bonita Red Blend ($19)

Casa Santos Lima is a multi-generational, family-owned winery that stands as one of Portugal's most prolific and highly decorated wine producers. Based at its primary estate, Quinta da Boavista in Alenquer (just north of Lisbon), it has evolved from a historic family trade into a global powerhouse.

The winery was established in the late 19th century by Joaquim Santos Lima, who was already a prominent producer and exporter of Portuguese wine to the UK and Brazil.

In 1990, his great-grandson, José Luís Santos Lima Oliveira da Silva, left a successful career in banking and finance to take over the family estate.

This Lisboa Bonita red blend is produced from Castelão (25%), Caladoc (25%), Tinta Roriz (20%), Alicante Bouschet (15%), and Touriga Franca (15%) grapes. It is a beautiful deep purple color with nice dark fruit aromas. On the palate, this full-bodied wine has lots of dark fruit flavors such as plum, blackberry, and blueberry, while the oak aging infuses notes of chocolate and vanilla. The tannins are bold and benefit from an hour in a decanter. 

This Lisboa Bonita red blend is a tasty one from Portugal. And, at this price, it’s a great value too, which makes it this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Vitis Ridge Pinot Gris

2023 Vitis Ridge Pinot Gris ($16)

The Vitis Ridge winery was originally founded and operates as an equal four-way partnership between two couples: Chris and Sharon Deckelmann, and Bruce and Sally Eich..  What started as a hobby in the garage over 20 years ago has evolved into one of the North Willamette Valley's most popular wineries.

Established in 2005, Vitis Ridge is producing about 3,000 cases annually. They focus on unique wines and specialty blends and are currently offering 30 varietals.

Their Estate vineyards are comprised of nearly 150 acres and include Pinot Noir, Maréchal Foch, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Muscat.  They also bring in grapes from vineyards throughout the Northwest to provide a broader range of offerings and interesting terrior differences.

This Vitis Ridge Pinot Gris is sourced from their estate vineyards located in Silverton, Oregon. It was processed entirely in stainless steel tanks. It is a beautiful medium salmon color that comes from an extended period of skin contact (4 to 24 hours) with the grape skins that are actually a dusty purple in color (hence the name Pinot Gris which means means ‘gray pinecone’).

This wine has subtle aromas of green apple and pear. On the palate it has flavors of mango, peach and pear without the sharp “bright” acidity normally associated with Pinot Gris. This is apparently due to their approach of making this a “semi-dry” wine, meaning that it has a bit higher residual sugar.

Vitis Ridge keeps their prices affordable so you can open the bottle you want to drink anytime...not just for the special event. That makes this Vitis Pinot Gris a perfect fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week! Next time you are in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, stop in at Vitis Ridge and meet their Tasting Room Manager, Brian Everest, to check out all their great wines. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Alta Vista Brut Rose

Alta Vista Brut Rosé ($18.99)

Alta Vista was founded by Count Patrick d’Aulan, heir of more than 250 years of winemaking tradition. With an enterprising spirit, he arrived in Argentina in the 1990s looking for the best regions of Los Andes.

The winery is located in Chacras de Coria, Mendoza. Having been built in 1890, it is a local heritage site of Mendoza.

Count Patrick d’Aulan and his family, former owners of Piper Heidsieck, one of the oldest Champagne Houses, developed the project and started the restoration.

This Alta Vista Brut Rosé is produced from Malbec (50%) & Pinot Noir (50%) that was sourced from the Albaneve estate vineyard. Using the Charmat method, the second fermentation took place in a pressurized tank.

This Brut Rosé is pale salmon in color with aromas of cherry, strawberry and floral notes. On the palate, this light-bodied wine has citrus notes, bright refreshing acidity and medium bubbles. While being on the sweeter end of the “Brut” range, the citrus and acidity combine to create agrapefruit-like finish with a combination of tartness and sweetness. [ABV: 12.8, TA: 7.6 g/L, pH:3.0, RS: 11 g/L]

This Alta Vista Brut Rosé is light and refreshing - a great sparkling wine that combines Alta Vista's French heritage with Argentina's unique terroir. That makes it a perfect fit as this week's Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Alta Vista Wines via Kobrand Wine and Spirits

Behind the Cork™ - Bouvet Rose Excellence Brut Sparkling Wine

Bouvet Excellence Brut Rosé NV ($19.99)

Since 1851, Bouvet Ladubay, in the Loire Valley, has been one of France’s greatest producers of méthode traditionnelle (naturally fermented in the bottle) sparkling wine.

Founded in 1851 by Etienne Bouvet and his wife Célestine Ladubay, Bouvet Ladubay is the second oldest sparkling wine-producing house in Saumur. By 1890, it had become France’s largest producer of Méthode Traditionnelle wines.

Today, they are run by the fourth generation of the Monmousseau family, producing close to 7 million bottles of wine.

This Bouvet Excellence Brut Rosé is produced from 100% Cabernet Franc, sourced from about 80 growers around Saumur and the Loire Valley area, a classic grape of the region. The grapes undergo a quick maceration on the skins followed by production in the méthode traditionnelle, this sparkling rosé is aged in the bottle on lees for 9 to 24 months.

Bouvet Excellence Brut Rosé is a beautiful light salmon color with very delicate aromas. On the palate, this sparkling rosé is light-bodied with strawberry, raspberry and peach flavors. It’s soft and easy to drink, not sweet, with vey light bubbles that lead to a creamy finish.

This Bouvet Excellence Brut Rosé is a wonderful addition to a warm summer day and goes with most any foods. And, at this price, is a great fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Bouvet Ladubay via Kobrand Wine and Spirits

Behind the Cork™ - Chateau dAqueria Tavel Rose

2025 Château d’Aqueria Tavel Rosé ($25)

Château d’Aqueria is the largest estate of Tavel. It has been making wines in Tavel since the end of the 16th century.

While Tavel is a specific wine region in France, the region only makes one highly distinct style of wine. So, the name "Tavel" is also used to refer to the type of wine itself.

Tavel was the first appellation created in France (1936).

Unlike the ultra-pale, light rosés, Tavel wines undergo a longer grape-skin maceration (often 12 to 72 hours). This gives them a dark pink or ruby hue, higher tannins, and rich, spicy, berry flavors. It is often referred to as a "rosé for red wine drinkers.”

This Château d’Aqueria Tavel is made from grapes that are handpicked from Château d’Aqueria’s own vineyards. They are then destemmed, followed by a maceration to extract color. The varieties, Grenache (50%), Syrah (20%), Clairette (10%), Mourvèdre (10%), Cinsault (5%), and Bourboulenc (5%) are blended two by two to enhance aromatic complexity. The grapes are then pressed before the fermentation undergoing temperature-controlled maceration and fermentation in stainless steel vats for 15 days. This wine sees no malolactic fermentation and no oak contact. A second blend took place in December before bottling.

Château d’Aqueria Tavel is a beautiful deep pink color that is nearly red. It has delicate aromas of strawberry and candied cherry. On the palate, it medium-light bodied rosé is bone dry (little or no residual sugar) at 14% ABV, has medium acidity and finishes with great red fruit flavor.

If Tavel rosé is something you’ve never tried, now is the time. It’s perfect intersection of red and wine wines, therefore pairing well with most foods. It’s a great wine at a very affordable price. That’s the criteria for being a Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Château d’Aqueria via Kobrand Wine and Spirits