Ai Galera Poetico

Ai Galera Poetico with its eye-catching label is a light to medium-bodied fruity red. It has vibrant aromas of raspberry, blueberry and herbs which lead into appealing cherry, brambly fruits and red berry flavours. An easy-going young red which is very smooth and approachable; you could drink this on its own or with food. It has relatively low abv of 12.5% and is superb quality at this price.

It is made from two of Portugal’s native grape varieties, Castelão which is probably the most planted grape in Portugal and enjoys the arid climate of the Tejo. It is blended with Trincadeiro, a grape which conveys vibrant raspberry and herby aromas to its wines. Trincadeiro grape is similarly at home in the  dry climates of Tejo and the Alentejo regions. Each variety is fermented separately in temperature controlled stainless steel vats at 23 ºC.

The Tejo was previously an undervalued region, lying to the south of Lisbon; it is capable of producing wines of enormous value and character – something that is captured by Ai Galera. This wine is made from grapes grown in the region of Charneca on sandy-clay soils.

The result is Ai Galera Poetico is a perfect light red, which has some structure, but is soft with mellow tannins and a nice rounded mouth-feel on the finish. This characterful, young red is worth discovering.

Recommended by David Williams (wine critic of The Observer) “Ai Galera Poetico, a rewarding, surprisingly serious, brambly red for the money”

Food match: Good on its own, and will happily partner Pasta and Poultry.