Staff Picks From Spain & Portugal

Fernão Pires, Casa de Paços – 2023 $9.96

At first glance, I thought this was the Casa de Paços Vinho Verde with a new label. With closer inspection, I found this to be a single varietal, Fernão Pires, from the Minho region in Northern Portugal. So while technically not a Vinho Verde this is a wine that acts like one. Light and fresh with fruit reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc, stone fruit, and a hint of tropical fruits concluding with a crisp finish. This is a wine to not overthink. So just kick back and enjoy! – Josh Mizrahi, Sales Manager

Avinyó, Cava Brut Reserva – 2021 $19.96

You gotta love wineries like Avinyo. They’re a family estate that’s been around for 14 generations. They are dedicated to organics and sustainability. They harvest fruit from 50 plus year old vines. Despite all this, it is almost shocking that they keep their prices this friendly. Their Reserva Brut Cava shows off the results of Avinyo’s beliefs and practices. The wine is fresh and crisp with straw aromas. Flavors of green apples and limes are heightened with mouthwatering acidity. You’ll find a touch of salinity, a good amount of minerality. It’s a joyful start to any celebration. – Chung Park, Astor Wines & Spirits Consultant

Xión Tinto, Bodegas y Viñedos Attis – 2020 $21.96

With the price of Cru Beaujolais going up and up, here is a nice option. I have always loved the reds from Rías Baixas, when I can find them, but they were usually more expensive than you would expect. Here is a great choice that’s bright and fresh with nice mineral acidity but fun and easy as well. The opposite of what you would expect from Spain. – Josh Mizrahi, Sales Manager

Mas Gomà, Brisat Catalan – 2023 $23.96

Georgia isn’t the only nation to boast a history of orange wine. Catalonia has a centuries old tradition of white skin contact. Here, winemakers lacked presses and could not separate juice from the grapes. Thus the need to macerate the juice with skins. With the recent popularity of orange wine, now most Catalonian producers have brought back the Brisat tradition. Father and son natural vignerons Mas Goma brings you this treat of skin contact Xarell-o (a component of Cava). Joan and Joan Junior farm their 60 year old vines biodynamically on calcareous soils. Vinification is minimalist and no sulfur is added. The flavor profile includes citrus peel, ginger spice, cream soda, a touch of yeast. Only a portion has seen spent time on the skins so tannins are moderate.At 12.5%, it is so smooth and accessible. Appropriately bottled in a liter. – Chung Park, Astor Wines & Spirits Consultant

Lés-a-Lés, Medieval de Ourem, Encostas d’Aire – 2022 $38.99

This was my kickoff wine for the only summer vacation that I had planned for the summer of 2020: two days on a houseboat named Freja docked at a marina in the Rockaways. Honestly Freja is a rustic antique, but she does have a deck. I heated up some takeout arancini and pulled this out of the tiny fridge. Medieval de Ourem is a traditionally co-fermented wine of Fernão Pires and Trincadeira from the Lisbon region that was developed by monks about 500 years ago. Freja is not nearly that old, but she was a great host as I sipped this light red/dark rose wine while watching herons in the marshland. I drank it with a nice chill and the dried red fruit, light tannins, and kiss of salinity soothed my battered and weary soul. – Vince Grace, Assistant Buyer

Mira do Ó, “Grande Druida” Encruzado – 2021 $81.96

Sometimes it’s good not to have any expectations. More often than not you end up in the land of pleasant surprises. Encruzado, a native grape from Portugal, doesn’t make its way to these shores very often, so what to expect? A wine that will stop you in your tracks. Winemaker Nuno Mira do Ó makes this only in very good years and sets out to find the best possible expression of the soil, climate, and grape. Inspired by the ancient Celtic Druids, he’s after harmony and balance with nature. What comes through in the glass is a refined, elegant wine full of flinty wet stone and pear with racy acidity. This has great aging potential, if you have that kind of restraint, but is drinking beautifully now. – Amy Miller, Sales Manager