Yes, indeed, seriously!
Former Mayor, now US Senator Corey Booker, may be a national figure and well-known for his attempts to resurrect the much maligned city of Newark - generally regarded as the source of all things nasty about Northern New Jersey -, but few outside the city know that there are actually some really cool things about this urban vortex of expressways, turnpikes and parkways. One of them is the charming ethnic enclave of the Ironbound neighborhood literally just a block from the Amtrak (Newark Penn) train station.
http://www.goironbound.com/portal/
Largely Portuguese by ethnicity and origin, this lively barrio, bisected by its main commercial strip, Ferry Street, is also home to many Latinos from South America, especially Brazil and Ecuador. Markets, restaurants, cafes, bakeries, specialty shops, bars and wine stores abound with multilingual signage beckoning the visitor to stop in and sample their wares. For wine aficionados, especially those who delight in the Iberian variety, such as myself, Ironbound is ground zero for an excellent selection of Portuguese wines at unbeatable prices. In particular, I recommend the Lisbon Wines & Liquors shop at 114 Ferry Street.
http://www.lisbonliquors.com/shop/
It's a relatively small shop, but boasts the best selection of Portuguese wines this side of the Iberian peninsula. Not only are the shopkeepers friendly and helpful, but you get an extra 10% discount on any case of wine. And the bargains seem never ending - just ask my friends Kim and Chris, who accompanied me on a road trip up there just last November (about 90 minutes from Philadelphia).
After browsing the shop for a good hour or more, we made our selections, then headed over to one of the best restaurants in the neighborhood that specializes in traditional Portuguese seafood dishes as well as other popular dishes from the old country. The restaurant, Seabra's Marisqueira, was featured this past year in the New York Times in an article about a chef returning to his roots:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/dining/the-essence-of-portugal-in-a-crisped-sardine.html
http://www.njdiningguide.net/Seabras/
And while you're at it, don't forget to sample some of the delicious pastries to be found in the local bakeries specializing in Portuguese sweet delights. My favorite is Teixeira's (184 Ferry Street). The egg custard tarts (pasteis de nata) are especially tasty - and cheap!
And now for some wine recommendations:
1. One of my favorite house wines ("house wine" meaning a good quality, inexpensive wine for everyday drinking I usually on hand) is the Vinha do Monte, a red wine from the Alentejo region. A blend of mostly Portuguese indigenous grape varietals
(Aragonêz, Alfrocheiro, Trincadeira, Syrah, A. Bouschet)
this fruity (blackberry, red plum), full-bodied wine with complex aromas, round, smooth tannins, and a soft mouthfeel, is an absolute delight to the senses and pairs well with meat, poultry, pasta and hard cheeses. At Total Wine, it retails for about $12, but at Lisbon Wines & Liquors, it's just $6 a bottle - in my opinion, the best deal around for a quality wine under $10!
2. Another good value wine for under $10 is the Grao Vasco Red (Tinto) from the Dao region. This "bargain" wine is a bit more earthy or rustic than the Vinha do Monte with a lighter body, slightly more assertive tannins, but still fresh and lively and fruity. It scored very well last year the Wine Spectator as a "good value" wine. It retails for $8.99 at Total Wine, but just $5.29 at Lisbon Wines & Liquors.
3. Moving up on the price point scale, I bring your attention now to what is considered among many wine experts to be the finest Cabernet Sauvignon currently produced in Portugal, and as such is yet another unbeatable bargain in terms of quality/price ratio or simply put, "bang for your buck". The Quinta da Bacalhoa from the Peninsula de Setubal region (P. de Setubal, for short) is a top quality Cabernet (blended with Merlot) vinified in the Bordeaux style at a fraction of the price you would pay for a bottle of similar quality from the northern neighbor. Indeed, this is not surprising given that the renowned Lafitte Rothschild Group acquired a stake in the Bacalhoa wine company in 2007. Aged 11 months in new French oak casks, this refined and elegant wine exudes aromas of red fruits with notes of wood and spice complimented by smooth tannins with a slightly minerally, long finish. It will do well with several years of careful cellaring. I recently sampled a 2007 vintage and it was still very much in its prime. Retailing for $25.99 at Lisbon Wines & Liquors (and comparably priced elsewhere), this is minor splurge well worth your investment. (Other fine wines from the same producer include Quinta do Carmo and Dom Marthinho.)
http://www.bacalhoa.com/default.htm
4. If you really want to pull out all the stops and go for a big splurge (but still not break the bank as is all too easy with top Bordeaux, Burgundy or California wines), may I recommend one of the top 5 wines I've ever had the pleasure of indulging in: the Quinta do Vale Meao (QVM) consistently scores very high marks in Wine Spectator ratings (93-95 out of 100), but all rating aside, you may never experience as luscious, elegant, silky and complex a wine as this beauty. Originating in the Douro region, famous for port as well as top quality table wines, it is very rich, concentrated, full of dark plum, blackberry and mocha flavors with a strong, spiced finish. Typically, it runs from $60 to $80, depending on the vintage, and is worth every dollar. Savor it with friends on a special occasion. (For a less costly alternative that aspires to the heights of QVM, and is great deal in its own right, try the Quinta do Vale Meao "Meandro", the second label of QVM and is available in PA stores as well as Total Wine for about $25.)
That's it for now for your Portuguese wine primer. I will revisit this Portugal in a later post to give you a rundown of some white wines which are perfect for summer time refreshment. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and take a day trip to Ironbound - you're sure to enjoy it! Saude!
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