Have We Met Our Match?

So, post Thanksgiving, Shane and I had our Christmas Kick-Off weekend. We did some decorating, baking, building, and buying. It was lovely and relaxing and festive and just what we needed to get in the spirit with the outside looking nothing like Christmas. 

December 3, 2015

This week we celebrated with a new bottle from Portugal. I'll be honest, we bought this one based solely on the sugar content. 2g/L. Let me repeat that: TWO GRAMS PER LITER. Very, very dry. So we were expecting to have found the one bottle that is actually too dry to drink. My my, were we ever wrong. Please keep in mind that this is from our perspective, and our palates, and this is in no way, shape or form saying that it would be enjoyable for everyone... or even the majority of people. 


This week it was Sidónio de Sousa Brut Nature Rosé. We were excited and a bit nervous. We didn't really want to have found our threshold. We pride ourselves on enjoying the most dry of dry bubblies, and were a bit scared that now we'd realize that we're just pretending to like them. That when it came down to the nuts and bolts of it, the brass tacks of dry bubblies, we would actually hate it. Or at least not enjoy it.  


When we popped the top, it smelled very dry (to be expected). It had the most adorable little baby cork, so cute. Tyson destroyed it. Faster and more completely than he has been lately. Must've been a good one. 

The first sip scared us a bit, it was starting to confirm everything we were worried about. That we had met our match. "It's lowering the humidity of the room",  it was so dry. We persevered. A few sips in, giving it air and swirling, we were starting to lose hope.

But then something magical happened. Okay, perhaps not magical, but certainly interesting and somewhat unexpected (by us - the foreshadowing earlier may have clued you in). We started to notice flavours. And not just the flavour "dry". We started to notice sweet (albeit tart, sour candy-esque), fruity flavours. Shane got under-ripe blackberries, and I got more a gooseberry tone (keep in mind, I have only had gooseberries about twice, when I was quite young, and they were ridiculously sour, so that's where I'm drawing my conclusion from). After a glass or two, when the dry-ness really started to even out, Shane said he got more raspberry flavour. 

Overall, yes, we would get this one again, although it certainly wouldn't be for everyone. We quite enjoyed it. 

~S

• Brand: Dulcinea dos Santos Ferriera
• Type of Grape: Not referenced
• Sweetness: 2g/L
• Price: $17.95
• Tasting Notes: Balanced flavour, fruity undertones, even and not acidic. Would pair nicely with a strong cheese, an extra old cheddar perhaps.