Portugal is a land of overlooked tradition and authenticity, unforgettable surprises, and raw quality. Over the last decade, the country as a whole has made strides towards cleaner, more pristine fruit profiles with lower ABV per bottle. The results are stunning.

Portuguese wines also often feature a salinity that makes them outstanding partners to food.

And the craziest thing? Prices for Portuguese wine often feel like a mistake. These are some of the greatest values in wine we know of.

Please join us to taste some unforgettable wines, and meet one of our favorite importers: Lewis Kopman, of GK Selections. Lewis is the single most knowledgeable and passionate point-person for Portuguese wine, and every minute tasting with him is a joyous process of discovery. After working for many years as a NYC retailer himself, Lewis decided Portugal was enough to become a full-time vocation, and he now manages what is arguably the greatest Portuguese portfolio out there.

Here’s the tasting voyage we’d love for you to join us for:

2022 Luis Pato - Bairrada Vinhas Velhas Branco, 24+ bottles @ $22.99/bottle ($20.69 w/any 12 bottle buy) - Ever try a Bairrada white? It’s a very cool maritime climate that holds some rare varieties, including Baga for red wine and Bical for whites. Luis Pato is one of the masters of this region, who showed the world these wines can excel and compete on a world stage. Bical is a unique, mind-bending grape, as it’s at once oily or waxy and almost petrol, but then insanely dry and racy like fresh squeezed lemon juice. Equal parts Bical, Cercial, and Sercialinho in this 2022 vintage field blend. This vintage offers tidepool seaside aromas on the nose alongside honey and herb. The citrusy palate follows with that honey and herb, then leads into salty mineral aromas. It's round and refreshing, enlivened by acidity; as it builds on the palate, it's like a fresh peach cleft apart by acid and salt. Old vine, ageworthy white for a song!

2022 Carlos Raposo - Dao Impecavel, 12+ bottles @ $18.99/bottle ($17.09 w/any 12 bottle buy) - Carlos Raposo is without doubt one of the most able winemakers in Portugal. He’s been making wine since he was 15. After a Master’s degree in Enology and 8 years in France, he worked alongside Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte and Malescot St. Exupéry, and later in Spain for Peter Sisseck for the new Pingus. Soon after his studies, he was recruited by legendary Niepoort to take over for another luminary: Luis Seabra. This wine tastes a LOT like Northern Rhone Syrah, for a fraction of the price! Thirty year old vines from the Serra da Estrela sub-region of the Dao, all organic and biodynamic, and entirely rendered in stainless steel. Bafflingly great, without even considering the price!

2020 Insula Vinus - IG Acores Arinto dos Acores, 12+ bottles @ $49.99/bottle - Azores Island white wine! Outrageous! Like a well-made Chablis with an extra gear. Another gem from the skilled hands of Paulo Machado of Azores Wine Company—except that this is his side project, called Insula. An insanely appealing wine that grows in pure lava. So fresh and incisive, with a gorgeous clean mineral nose. Sea spray aromas, with subtle aromas of pear, sweet green herbs, toasted hazelnut, and salty margarita. There simply couldn’t be a better white wine for raw fish.

2022 Cabeças do Reguengo Alentejo Respiro Clarete, 12+ bottles @ $28.99/bottle ($26.09 w/any 12 bottle buy) - Cabeças do Reguengo is a small project focused on pre-phylloxera vine material at high elevations in Portalegre, a town in eastern Alentejo, Portugal not far from the Spanish border. The "vineyards" are in fact polycultural orchards, which are farmed organically and biodynamically. The wines are made with minimal intervention yet leave the cellar utterly pristine in quality. This is a brilliant blend of white and red grapes from 100+ year-old, pre-phylloxera vines, hand-harvested and fermented in lagar before aging in concrete tanks. There’s a svelte texture and spiciness to the fruit here that is quite powerful and seductive. The wine offers unique subtle aromas of roses, blood orange, and something smoky on the backend that sits atop the tart but thick and clearly articulated concentrate of fresh red and blue fruit. With the exception of those who demand much burlier, inkier reds, this is a pale red wine that is sure to appeal to everyone, particularly in summer heat.

2000 Luis Pato - Beiras Tinto Vinha Barrio, 2 bottles @ $78/bottle ($70.19 w/any 12 bottle buy) – Same winemaker as for the Vinhas Velhas Branco above. Prior to Luis Pato's having 'tamed' the exceedingly tannic Baga grape, as the story goes, no one in Portugal or really anywhere thought that Baga could render a still red wine of joy and finesse. Bairrada, the grape's spiritual homeland, was a cold and rainy place that rendered tough-as-nails reds few could enjoy. But by pruning to create aeration, Luis could avert rot, and help his grapes mature into a much nobler form. But could Baga ever be a wine for the masses, or would it remain an esoteric aside for geeks intent upon touring every corner of the vinous world? Here, ladies and gentlemen, is all the proof you need. This wine hails not from Bairrada, but from the neighboring surrounding region of Beiras Atlantico, a region similarly inflected by maritime winds. With two decades (!) of aging for the materials to soften, it's just exquisite. Imagine it as the Nebbiolo of the sea. Others are eager to compare it to Pinot Noir or Syrah.  Try this with unsauced BBQ, and hold on to your seat. It offers up lovely saline, rich cherry goodness for days, with just enough tannic bite to remind you it's Baga and to keep it refreshing and lean -- and keep pulling you to try more. Aromas of roses and a subtle spicy character reminiscent of frankincense help remind you why we like to age Baga.

2018 Luis Pato – Bairrada Tinto Vinha Pan, 12 bottles @ $49.99/bottle – Same winemaker as for the Vinhas Velhas Branco and Vinha Barrio above. One of the most famous and cherished bottles of Baga in all of Portugal; 100% Baga from the Panasqueira vineyard in central Bairrada. Very chalky soils. 100% destemmed followed by open top fermentation and aging in a combination of used French and Portuguese oak for about two years, then aging a further 3 years in bottle before release. So great, and one of the most wonderfully distinctive wines of Portugal!