Every couple of weeks I head to the Artis Wine Bar in Lisbon for a night of popular Portuguese food and one or two good bottles of wine. These are now popular nights amongst my friends who have become fans of the delicious wines available on the bar’s extensive wine list and the great food pairings.
One of the bar’s best and most popular foods options is the house-recipe Bitoque, a portuguese-style fried steak and egg with homestyle cube fries and a special tasty sauce. This is a brilliant pairing for a bottle of Meandro 2009, a Douro red whose flavors and structure will completely marry the steak, egg and fries fatness.
Meandro is the very attractive first wine of the Quinta do Vale Meão and the younger brother of the one of the best wines from the Douro (also named Quinta do Vale Meão). Made by winemaker Francisco “Xito” Olazabal the Meandro is a wine with pronounced fruit aromas, meaty and chocolaty flavors, all well balanced by a good soft chewy structure and clean fresh finish. A really great pleasure to drink!
The Meandro 2009 is a delicious blend of Touriga Nacional (35%), Touriga Franca (30%), Tinta Roriz (25%), Tinta Barroca (5%) and Sousão (5%). Some of the same varieties also used in Port Wine. The Meandro is a wine that will age for a few years (I just had a Meandro 2000 a few weeks ago and it was still very good) but thankfully it is also very ready to be enjoyed right now.
Meandro is clearly one of my favorite wines and one the best values in Portuguese wine. For around 10 € this is a must buy Douro red.
The 2010 is already on the market and it is as delicious as the 2009. For those of you reading this from outside Portugal I have good news. You can find Meandro in many wine retailers around the world. Enjoy!
Note: Artis is wine bar with a great wine list. Unfortunately it allows people to smoke inside. Most of the times it’s not a problem and people avoid smoking inside. However on some Fridays and Saturdays it can become way too much smoke for a #winelover.
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Meandro 2009 Red | Douro | Touriga Nacional (35%), Touriga Franca (30%), Tinta Roriz (25%), Tinta Barroca (5%) and Sousão (5%) Where to buy |
Andre Ribeirinho 
I’m enjoying these posts a great deal.
Easy. Useful. Make me hungry and thirsty.
Am going to co post on theLocalsip and when we start pushing content on the new rev, a Portuguese post every now and again might be useful.
I won’t say again that I need to visit but I do!
Arnold, thanks for the comment.
Good to know my words and pics are making people hungry and thirsty. That’s the goal. :)
Let me know when then new rev is up and running.
Looking forward to show you around in Portugal!
10 euros in Portugal and 11 pounds in London! The bar sounds great though – except for the smoking.
Thanks for the comment Colin! 11 pounds in London sounds pretty good for a wine of this quality. Highly recommended. I agree, the smoke is the negative points of this bar. It ruins any tasting.
Now you’ve made me hungry…