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Product Name
Vintage
Price
Varietal
Country
Region
Appellation
Size
Additional Discount
Original Item
2008
$26.34
Port Blend
Portugal
Porto
750ml
6B / $20.64
Similar Price, Better Score
NV
$27.60
Port Blend
Portugal
Porto
750ml
12B / $22.80
Better Price, Better Score
NV
$18.64
Port Blend
Portugal
Porto
750ml
12B / $18.27
More Details
Winery
Presidential
Vintage: 2008
2008 saw very high yields across wineries in much of the southern hemisphere, as a result of highly favorable climatic conditions. Although in many areas, these high yields brought with them something of a drop in overall quality, this could not be said for South Australia's wines, which were reportedly excellent. Indeed, the 2008 Shiraz harvest in South Australia is said to be one of the most successful in recent decades, and western Australia's Chardonnays are set to be ones to watch out for. New Zealand's Pinot Noir harvest was also very good, with wineries in Martinborough reportedly very excited about this particular grape and the characteristics it revealed this year.
Pinot Noir also grew very well in the United States, and was probably the most successful grape varietal to come out of California in 2008, with Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley delivering fantastic results from this grape. Elsewhere in United States, Washington State and Oregon had highly successful harvests in 2008 despite some early worries about frost.
However, it was France who had the best of the weather and growing conditions in 2008, and this year was one of the great vintages for Champagne, the Médoc in Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes leading the way. Italy, too, shared many of these ideal conditions, with the wineries in Tuscany claiming that their Chianti Classicos of 2008 will be ones to collect, and Piedmont's Barberesco and Barolo wines will be recognized as amongst the finest of the past decade.
Region: Porto
Porto has a history which stretches back centuries, and involves empires, riches, and the discovery of new countries and civilisations. Today, the city and the region which surrounds it is perhaps best known for wine, and in particular, the tawny colored, aromatic and delicious Port wines which have been wildly popular since the 18th century. The region Porto is situated in, the Douro wine region of Portugal, is one of the oldest protected wine regions in the world, and is widely considered to be one of the finest places in Europe for viticulture. Indeed, the area around Porto supports an astonishing number of native and imported grape varietals, although by far the most common grapes found flourishing on the valley sides are Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão, Tempranillo, Touriga Francesa, and Touriga Nacional – all grapes most commonly used for Port wine production.
Country: Portugal
Portugal has been an important center for wine production ever since the Phoenicians and Carthaginians discovered that the many native grape varietals that grow in the country could be cultivated for making excellent wines. After all, Portugal has something of an ideal wine producing climate and terrain; lush green valleys, dry, rocky mountainsides and extremely fertile soil helped by long, hot summers and Atlantic winds. Today, such a climate and range of terroir produces an impressive variety of wines, with the best wines said to be coming out of the Douro region, the Alentejo and the Colares region near Lisbon. Portugal has an appellation system two hundred years older than France's, and much effort is made by regulating bodies to ensure that the quality of the country's produce remains high, and the wines remain representative of the regions they are grown in.