The Observer

Portugal rules, according to TIM ATKIN MW. Chelsea Football Club's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho has given his country's wine the seal of approval after sharing a bottle of Barca Velha with Sir Alex Ferguson, and this 'plug for a Portuguese wine was welcome because it's so rare'. Atkin bemoans the fact that 'our high-street retailers have virtually given up on Portugal'. And even worse, 'Mateus Ros & still accounts for 40% of Portuguese wine sales in the UK a rather depressing story'. He's 'more convinced than ever that the country is producing some fantastic-value wines', and his top choices to prove this point include 2004 Quinta do Ameal Loureiro Vinho Verde (8.40; Corney & Barrow) and 2003 Quinta do Vallado Douro Reserva (17.99; Bibendum).