Wednesday Wine Tip - 28.02.24

Post Quer..S Bical by Filipa Pato

Smooth Portuguese

Wine: Post Quer..S Bical

Winemaker: Filipa Pato

Origin: Bairrada, Portugal

Grapes: 100% Bical

Method: 1 month of maceration in clay amphora, 2 months in bottle before release

This week's Wednesday Wine Tip is the Portuguese masterpiece Post Quer..S Bical from the legendary Filipa Pato. A wine I tasted for the first orange wine article I ever wrote, and have never stopped thinking about ever since. It's an orange wine that doesn't really taste like an orange wine, with aromas of cooked pears, smoked cured ham, thyme, honey, and the longest salty aftertaste you have ever had.

Back in 2021, I wrote an article for a Norwegian Wine & Spirits magazine about orange wine and the best summer food pairings. I am personally a huge fan of Paella, which always looks impressive, but is quite simple to make and easy to customize based on your taste preferences. I needed an orange wine to try with paella for the article, and based on my research I went for Filipa Pato's Post Quer..S Bical, hoping it would work. Not only did it work, it's a pairing that I have thought about ever since.

This wine is not your typical orange wine. If someone gave me this as a blind test, I would have had a hard time telling it had skin contact, mainly because it's not what makes it so special. You can tell there are some tannins, but the saltiness of the wine almost fully covers the tannins, making it hard to notice them at all. It is a wine I would recommend giving lots of air, either big wine glasses or decanter it for 2 hours (minimum) before serving.

Filipa Pato is known around the world for her high-quality wines, labeled "authentic wines without makeup". She has a degree in chemical engineering and has honed her winemaking skills in France, Argentina, and Australia before going back to Portugal and making her own wines. Together with her husband William Wouters, they produce some of my absolute favorite Portuguese wines for very affordable prices. If you see any of her wines, try them. You won't be disappointed.

Paella

For this week's first combination, I am recommending pairing Post Quer..S Bical with homemade paella. If you don't have any go-to recipe for this dish, try this one. I like mine without mussels and chicken but with crayfish, shrimp, and chorizo. Make sure to not use smoked paprika instead of sweet paprika, a mistake I made once that didn't ruin the meal, but definitely did not improve it.

I would also be a bit careful with how spicy you make it as it will interfere with the wine if it gets too spicy. A little kick is good, mouth burning is not. Decanter the wine if you can while making the food, and serve it slightly chilled. Enjoy my very first orange wine and food pairing!

Cleo Sol's "Rose in the Dark" album

To be honest I could have chosen any of her songs or albums for this wine, but because this is the album I like the best, it's the one I am recommending. A good friend of mine (thank you Stian) showed me Cleo Sol's smooth voice late one night after some good wine, and her voice is undoubtedly one of the most calming voices I have heard in years. It feels like silk in my ears, and the music is equally as gentle.

This album can just go on repeat in the background, you might not even notice that you are playing it, but the atmosphere you are surrounding yourself with will be comforting and calming. Just like this weeks wine, it's not trying to be a show-off or in your face impressive. It's smooth, really good craftwomanship, and makes you want more.

People who say they don't like orange wine

Not everyone likes orange wine, I get that. Everything is not for everyone, but I firmly believe that orange wines have the widest range in styles, flavors, and aromas of all the wine categories. When people say they don't like orange wine (or natural wine for that sake) after only trying a few of them, it doesn't really count in my book.

If you know someone like this, and you want to prove them wrong, bring a bottle of Post Quer..S Bical and share with them. Maybe don't tell them that it is an orange wine before they have tasted it. Let their preconceived ideas about what orange wine tastes like be left behind for a moment, and have them truly try this free of judgment. Maybe even serve it with Paella and the smooth voice of Cleo Sol.

Enjoy!