Encruzado (Dao, Portugal)

Neatly situated on a plateau between three separate ranges of granite-laden mountains, the Dao region of Portugal is known for highly tannic red wines. But, today, we are here to drink from an up and coming, yet still little known white wine known as Encruzado. Once known as nothing but a blending grape, Encruzado has begun to gain favor among winemakers who like experimenting with oak.

First, what is Dao? It's a Denominacion d'Origem Controlada (DOC) centered roughly where the Dao and Mondego Rivers meet. Wine connoisseurs know it as the home of Touriga Nacional, the primary grape in most port wine.

The history of Dao goes back to the early 20th century. Sometime around the beginning of World War II, in an effort to improve the quality of local wine, the Portuguese government established that wine in Dao would be made only by an oligopoloy of wine cooperatives. The experiment, however, was a complete failure, as the cooperatives cooperated with each other to produce cheap, low quality wine using some of the worst winemaking techniques on the planet. Sanitation was an afterthought and the stuff that went into WWII-era wine in Dao was unspeakable.

Things changed for the better. In 1979, when Portugal applied to what was then the European Union, it was forced to adopt more normal and higher-quality winemaking practices. In 1980, Dao was awarded DOC status.

Winters here are cool and exceptionally rainy. The growing season, however, even at the high altitude (averaging around 700m/2200 ft) of the Dao Plateau are quite warm and very dry as the three mountain ranges shield the area from the Atlantic breezes. The soil is somewhat unique to the area -- extremely sandy affording excellent drainage on top of the granite subsurface.

What the mountains do here is to provide for extreme variations in temperature from day to night. Summer highs are typically around 35C/95F, but overnight lows are more typically 15C/59F or lower. This tends to produce grapes with quite intense flavors.

Encruzado is an interesting grape. As the area in which it is grown (today, perhaps nowhere else in the world in any quantity) is truly covered in pine trees, we get a significant pine needle aroma on the nose and a bit of pine resin on the palate. Expert lots of white flower as well as citrus acidity and a wet granite finish.

Curiously, Encruzado has the foible of going dumb. If you drink it quite young, the flavors are bold and the acidity quite high. It then goes theough a period adolescence during which it just won't listen to anyone. The flavors disappear and the wine tightens. After about 4 or 5 horrible years, however, Encruzado suddenly reopens and it becomes a wonderfully full-bodied wine that stands up to the meatiest of fish and the local fish stews.