CORKTALE (e Quinta de Alcube)

On a sunny day in December we visited a new space in “Setúbal”, near “Av. Luísa Todi”, at the northern end of it. It is a wine bar but it also serves meals. Their main business are the snacks, but there is at least 1 dish of the day. In fact, they are still in the stage of organization, and it is only natural that more offers arise.
The space is small but cozy. The service was friendly and efficient. We were surprised positivly, with the vinous knowledge of the young man (young man) who answered us. It should be noted that we have not identified ourselves.
Regarding the wine offer, there is a clear concern to have several references from “Palmela” and “Peninsula de Setúbal”. Which we understand and welcome. But the wine list, although not very extensive, is quite balanced, with several references to single glass wine. In fact, even if a certain wine is not in the list by the single glass wine, we can always negotiate this situation. That’s what happened to 1 of those we tasted. And the prices are very acceptable.
We started with 1 white wine, followed with 2 reds wines, and finished with a liqueur: a “Moscatel de Setúbal”, of course.
The white wine that was recommended to us was the “Ninfa escolha” Sauvignon Blanc 2014. We accepted the recommendation. We were surprised by the aroma. A fruity aroma, which could not guess the caste in question. But in the mouth everything was revealed: the vegetable side was there, and the dry final. A very fresh wine that pleased us a lot and that accompanied well the salade.
Then, to accompany some cheese and sausages, we ordered a relatively light red wine. We have once again accepted the suggestion: “Conceito Bastardo 2014”. The “Bastardo” is a caste that has been abandoned, and which is now being recovered by some producers. A pale red wine, reminiscent of a Pinot Noir. Aroma of cherries, in fact very soft but nice mouth. Anyway, we got the feeling that something is missing. It’s missing a little of soul.
To accompany our chicken dish we asked for a reference that was not on the single glass wine list: “Horácio Simões Grande Reserva Vinhas Velhas Castelão 2013”. Dark color, exactly the opposite of the previous one. Earthy aroma, in the mouth very intense and full, with the wood to fight with the caste. It is a heavy and not elegant wine. It is certain that this wine will be much better in a few years. Although you can drink it already, it is a wine to keep. It will surely evolve well in the bottle.
And to finish, and accompany an egg pudding, we asked for the fantastic and famous Trilogy of “José Maria da Fonseca” (that you can ask as a single glass !!!). The Trilogy is a blend of the best harvests of the twentieth century: 1965 (70%), 1934 (15%) and 1900 (15%).
Fantastic aroma of honey and nuts. In the mouth it is very unctuous, perhaps too sweet. Final very, very long … Great way to finish lunch.
We liked a lot. Let’s go back. We recommend!

The Wines:

// Ninfa escolha Sauvignon Blanc 2014

. Region: Tejo
. Producer: João M Barbosa
. Price: 8.50 euros
. Rating: 16.5v

// Bastard Conceito Bastardo 2014

. Region: Douro
. Producer: Conceito wines
. Price: 18.50 euros
. Rating: 15.5 v

// Horácio Simões Grande Reserva Vinhas Velhas Castelão 2013

. Region: Peninsula of Setúbal
. Producer: Horácio Simões
. Price: 19.50 euros
. Rating: 16.5 v

// Trilogy

. Region / type: Moscatel de Setúbal
. Producer: JMF
. Price: 225 euros
. Rating: 18v

CORKTALE
R. Plácido Stichini 2, 2900-558 Setúbal
T: 265410297

And on the return trip, on the road from “Setúbal” to “Azeitão”, we decided to make a quick visit to “Quinta de Alcube”. It is a 200-hectare estate with vineyards, fruit trees and other agricultural products, livestock, and a country hotel. They have visits, and various wine tastings, accompanied with cheese and sausages. It is a house that bets on the direct sale at their premises, and in fact we were impressed with the amount of people who were there to buy wine and other products. Certainly it was time to buy the Christmas presents, and “Quinta de Alcube” presents several sets / baskets in order to diversify the offer. This “quinta” bets on table wines (white and red) of low and medium low range (the most expensive is the reserve that costs 8.5 euros), but we can garanty that they are serious wines, with a very good quality price relation. They also have boxed wine, and a late harvest (the “Alcubíssimo”).
We took a bottle to taste later.

QUINTA DE ALCUBE
Alto das Necessidades Road, Azeitão
T 212191566