Douro reds for chilly times

I hope your 2025 is off to a great start, dear reader.

Winter is in full swing and here in the Mid-Atlantic we’re looking at the first real blast of cold air and snow on the way. So, if you’re not doing a dry January, it’s a great time to check out some warm, hearty reds.

Quinta de Roriz - Credit: Prats & Symington

This week, I want to highlight two delightful selections from the Douro region of Portugal. I’m a huge fan of Portuguese wine, culture, the food, the surf – pretty much everything. I’ve made three trips and there’s still so much to see. For example, I haven’t been to the Douro, but I love learning about this region through its exceptional wines. Port is king, and also great for the season, but it’s the dry reds that really keep me coming back.

2022 wasn’t easy for Douro viticulturists, as the Douro Valley dealt with extreme heat and drought in the run up to the vintage, stressing the vines and, I reckon, the growers and winemakers. But the resulting wines show vibrancy, liveliness, and the resilience of this ancient region.

Prats & Symington formed in 1999 as a family partnership between the Symington family and the Prats family of Bordeaux. Based at Quinta de Roriz, a heralded site has been producing estate wines since the late 18th Century, where the vines get classic schist soils and a mostly northerly orientation, yielding cooler nights and focused, bright wines.

The entry level Prazo de Roriz delivers a ton of value and offers a great place to start your exploration into Douro reds. Then we have the Post Scriptum, which is sourced from Prats & Symington’s Quinta de Roriz and Quinta da Pedri, and is aged in 400-liter barrels. Both are blends of traditional varieties like Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Roriz.

If you haven’t tried a wine from this producer before, I find them very reliable across vintages, and it helps that the wines are available in many markets.

These wines were received as samples and tasted sighted.

2022 Prats and Symington Douro Prazo de Roriz - Portugal, Douro
SRP: $19

Bright purple color. The nose pops with blackberry compote, tangy plums, along with plenty of sage, tobacco, earth, anise, and ginger cookie tones, making for a delightfully spicy, fresh appeal. On the palate, I get plums, blackberries, tangy black currants, on a frame of structured but smooth tannins and crisp acidity. It’s all quite balanced and wrapped together nicely, with accents of iron, graphite, oregano, smoky earth, some dark chocolate tones. Such a good value, and a great wine with cold weather, hearty food, and good friends. A classic Douro blend at a great price. (90 points)

2022 Prats and Symington Douro Post Scriptum de Chryseia - Portugal, Douro
SRP: $32
Deep purple color. The aromas show a dark, complex host of plums, black currants, saucy black cherries, along with anise, earth, graphite, and tobacco. The palate sports solid tannins but they have a fine, dusty feel, and the acidity is vibrant, laying the foundation for dark, tangy fruit (black cherry, currant, fig paste). I love the complexities of anise, cocoa, tobacco, and clove. Lovely complexity and depth, and has cellar potential too, making for a great experience and value. A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Roriz. (92 points)