There's a lot more to Portuguese wines than Port delicious as it is, in much of the world it overshadows some enticing wines from one of the loveliest countries in Europe, where winemaking has been going on since at least 1100 BC (Phoenician-Celts) and flourished even more with the arrival of the Romans in 100 BC.

Thousands of amphorae (wine crocks) have been unearthed in Celtic settlements throughout Europe. When the Celts switched from beer to wine on encountering the Romans, they adopted wine traditions that still live in many parts of the Iberian peninsula; Duero in Spain, and Douro in Portugal. They share a common river, the original name of which is the Celtic word for water "dwr". Although the Roman practice was to add water to wine, the Celts dispensed with that and served wine straight from the amphorae.

Last week I tasted five wines from Portugal, including the full richness of a Quinto do Vallado Douro 2003, Gold Medal wine. And if the ancient Celts had wine anything like that I can see why they didn't add water! It has a nose of dark red berries and coffee, and on the palate it is full of lusciously ripe dark cherries, the texture is quite lovely chewy with a medium-long finish.

Known since 1716, the Vallado estate became part of the Ferreira family of Port wine fame, and in 1993 they began bottling Quinta do Vallado Douro Wines under their own brand. Cristiano Van Zeller, previous owner of Quinta do Noval (Port) is consultant to Quinta do Vallado.

No matter where you are in the world, say the words "Alvarinho" or "Vinho Verde" in wine-loving company and the most likely instant reaction will be broad smiles. It's a measure of how much this fresh, lively wine pleases its aficionados. It is a late ripening white wine variety whose home is in the north west of the Iberian Peninsula.

Called Albarino in Spain where it makes the country's most fashionable white wine, and likened to Petit Mansang from France, Portugal's producers use it for their very popular "green" wines: Vinho Verde which is often very light in body and alcohol. Picked early and drunk very young, they are pale yellow in colour with a suggestion of light green reflections. In taste the wines are spritzy-fresh and crisp. The Portuguese home market consumes more red than white Vinho Verde, while the white is exported.

Worth looking at now is the Muros Antigos Vinho Verde 2004, which is made from 100 per cent Alvarinho: upfront fresh fruit with a petroleum nose, it is full, floral and pleasantly acidic. The Muros Antigos winery lies north of Oporto (Port), and the renowned winemaker Anselmo Mendes uses only stainless steel for this wine.

Alvarinho grapes can produce wines with a complex array of flavours, similar to Viognier but with much less weight. Very thick skinned, the grape yields only a small amount of juice to produce creamy rich wines with complex flavours of apricots, yellow peaches and citrus with refreshing acidity.

Although not widely known as a varietal, Touriga Nacional is a rare, small-berried, dark-skinned Portuguese grape of the highest quality grown in the Dao. It is one of the grapes used in Port wines along with Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cao, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Roriz. In Australia it's known simply as Touriga.

One of the rewarding reds I've tasted recently is Tourigo Nacional Cortes de Cima 2003 14.5 per cent, Alentejano. Winemaker at Cortes de Cima is Hans Kristian Jorgensen, an exponent of the new style of wine from Portugal single varietal, unrefined and unfiltered. It has a floral, sweet raspberry nose, with sweet red berries on the palate and medium tannins with a medium-long finish.

With the evocative name of "mountain of gold", the winery of Quinta do Monte D'Oiro in the Estremadura district produces a Tempera 2001 which has spicy notes and fruit on nose, and is full of dark berries and soft silky tannins with a long, dry finish. It would benefit from another couple of years in bottle. The winemaker is Jose Bento dos Santos.

Big luscious Cartuxa wines are produced near the town of Evora, in Alentejo, a fine wine region of southeast Portugal. The Cartuxa,DOC Tinto Colheita 2001 has a meaty, farmyard nose. It is fruity with lashings of dark ripe berries on the palate with soft silky tannins, good texture and a very long, satisfying finish. It is a 6-grape blend of Trincadeira (Tinta Amarela in Spain), Aragones (Tempranillo), Alfrocheiro, Periquita, Moreto, and Tinta Caiada, and is worthy of any accolade Celtic or otherwise.

These wines are the focus of a special wine tasting promotion with appropriate canapes including marvellous Lombo pork neck and a sausage selection on September 28, 2006 at Spoon by Alain Ducasse (Intercontinental Hotel, TST), orchestrated by award winning sommelier Thomas Scheidt. Tel: 2313-2256.

(HK Edition 11/21/2006 page3)