While in Portugal for the holidays, I spent 24h in a wonderful place in Alentejo (a region on the south of Portugal) called Herdade da Malhadinha Nova. This place serves both as a country house (with Spa) and a winehouse. The 24h spent there were amazing, even though it rained as much as in the Old Testament. The food was great, the scenery was amazing, and the wines they make are fabulous. One in particular gathered my affection: Malhadinha, 2007. It´s a red wine (from Alentejo obviously). It uses five types of grapes: Aragonês, Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Touriga Nacional. Some tasting notes (in portuguese can be found here.
One particularly great thing about this wine (and the other wines from Herdade da Malhadinha) is that it has a very family-like management. And, in accordance, even the children of the family who runs the place have a task in the wine process. They are responsible for creating the labels of every bottle. So you'll easily recognize this wine in the gourmet stores (and they can be found in lots of places in the world, in over 20 countries), because they are filled with tender lovely drawings, like the one of Malhadinha 2007. Enjoy.
