Fernao Pires

We're staying in Portugal today to drink wine made from the white grape, Fernao Pires, sometimes known for reasons beyond me as Maria Gomes. Despite that we are staying in the same country, it's a two-plus hour ride mostly up the coastline to a little peninsula just south of the capital city of Lisbon. 

The town we;ve stopped in is called Setubal. It happens to be the sardine capital of the world. It's also the place where the most prodigious growths of Fernao Pires can be found.

It's a scenic town that dates back to the days when the north African Arabs settled on the Iberian Peninsula. On the beautiful morning we have, we can see Lisbon and its sister fishing village Cascais to the north and Troia on a separate peninsule to the south.

The weather here is warm and dry, but not brutally hot. The soil is very sandy clearly due to the alluvial fan on which we sit. Apparently, this perfect for Fernao Pires because it is not grown anywhere nearly as much as it is here.

The wine that is produced is a tremendous bargain. If you can find it, you can pick up an outstanding bottle for 4 to 5 Euros. It's a great summer wine -- refreshing with moderate to low acidity so that you can drink it cold or even nearly at room temperature.

Upon opening a bottle, you'll immediately get notes of orange blossom and clove along with a blast of honeysuckle. On the palate, it's full of kaffir lime and peach. And, normally of fairly low alcohol content, you can drink plenty of it without feeling the effects.

While it's not a geography where you would find a lot of it, consider pairing your Fernao Pires with pedestrian American sushi. I cannot think of a better way to enjoy a California roll (by the way, that should not really be called sushi) than with a glass of this highly aromatic wine. Also consider it with a cucumber salad, especially if it has some dill, or even try it with Asian spring rolls. It's a great value and highly refreshing.