White Wine Review: Fonte de Nico
Now, this was a surprise. We were already familiar with the Fonte de Nico brand because of their low calorie, low alcohol rose, which helped us nicely through Weightwatchers.
Fonte de Nico White Wine
When we picked up this €1.50 bargain in Pingo Doce we expected something drinkable, but it was really purchased more for reasons of pre-Christmas economy than to tickle the tastebuds.
Imagine then, the delight, when we popped the cork and found something really rather close to good New Zealand sauvignon blanc – something I really miss, as although NZ sauvignon blanc is found all over in the UK, is hard to track down in Portugal, and prohibitively expensive when you do.
The wine is a wonderfully light colour and gives off the trademark gooseberry aroma. It tastes fruity and is off dry whilst remaining fresh. It’s perfect for fish but also went down surprisingly well with pork and apple sauce.
In the interests of not being too rose tinted about this cheap wine, I had another bottle a couple of days later (as you do!) I did discover on the revisit that it really needs to be served ICY cold – a room temperature glass was a bit cloying.
Although I was perhaps not quite so blown away the second time, this is still a seriously interesting discovery at the price. It’s certainly joined our list of favourites, and at €1.50 a pop we will be seeing a lot more of it!
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ben Taylor, Ben Taylor. Ben Taylor said: http://www.foodandwineportugal.com/2010/12/white-wine-review-fonte-de-nico/ A very cheap white wine discovery [...]
Curiosity drove me to buying A couple of flasks and yes, it’s pleasant & light….Lacking a sensitive palate I can’t compare it with anything much.
Intermarché had & maybe still has rafts of a yet less expensive semi-sparkler named “2 Zés” & designated ‘Vinho Frutado’ which it is & maybe a tad tastier than the Fonte de Nico
Area of origin appears to be Fafe & it comes in white, red & rosé (best stick to the white unless you have a thing about rosé)…Cheers!
Hi Dogoyaro – glad you enjoyed it – I will look out for the 2 Zes! – Bom Ano Novo
[...] those that know their Portuguese wine, I would describe this as rather like white Fonte de Nico (one of our regular budget wines), but one that is a little more grown-up, oaky, and sophisticated. [...]