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Quinta do Gradil 1492 Tinto, Lisboa-Portugal, 2023
$15.95/bottle – $171.99/case

Wines of the Month – JULY 2026

The Iberian Peninsula is the source of many of today’s best values, and this beauty from Portugal really stands out. It is a blend of 50% Touriga Nacional, Portugal’s best red grape (and a varietal being tested in Bordeaux as it adapts to climate change), and 50% Tannat, which is not typically found in Portugal. Like Malbec, Tannat is originally from south-west France, and it’s still grown in the restricted area of Madiran. Both grapes have been more successful in South America; Malbec has become synonymous with Argentina, while Tannat has become the national grape of Uruguay.

Many Portuguese reds are big and burly, more rustic than refined. Quinta do Gradil is the opposite, medium-weight,  harmonious, and balanced, bordering on elegant! One would not expect that from Tannat, known for its intensity and high tannin load, but it is fairly tamed here, thanks to the Touriga Nacional. Its touch of tannin suggests further short-term development. Twenty percent of this wine was aged in 2nd-use barrels for nine months, the remainder in stainless steel. It’s perfect with anything barbecued or with the following traditional Portuguese stew.

A record of this estate dates back to February 14, 1492, in a royal document by King John II of Portugal. In the 16th century, the estate was a royal hunting lodge. After a succession of owners, including noted poet Isidoro Maria d’Oliveira, it was purchased in 1999 by Luís Vieira. Vieira had spent three years in Argentina, managing his family’s porcelain factory. During that time, he visited Uruguay and fell in love with the Tannat grape. He later planted it at his new property in Portugal. We also carry the reserve bottling under the Vino do CARM label.