Out of line with Poças: a port producer reinvents itself with Fora da Série wines

I was fascinated with that bottle: the liquid was red, light and the taste was as attractive as it gets, light-bodied, textured, pleasantly peppery, reminding of a rare Piedmontese variety I loved so much. Yes, Italian. On the label, though, I found the name of a traditional Port producer, Poças. The wine was wittingly subtitled Fora da Série, roughly “Out of Line” in Portuguese, hinting at its being way out of the traditional canons of Portuguese wine approach. And, at the same time, just one out of several, the “Série”.

I appreciated the effort: it’s been some time that I embarked on avoiding heavy, tannic and overpowering oaky examples of red winemaking. For some years I have been drinking lighter reds and darker roses as a path to wine enlightenment and well-being, be it Gamay, Pelaverga or Pinot Noir. That one was called Vinho da Roga, and came out to be a lively blend of quick-fermented and — I believe — early-harvested Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz, the classic trio of Douro, the holy cradle of Portuguese wine production.

In other words, I was scooped.

Within some weeks I connected with the Poças’ winemaker André Barbosa and came to visit the cellar in Porto (which is actually used to produce ports, not the dry wines). It was especially interesting that I was meeting precisely the winemaker of one of the few port producers that stayed in the hands of a single family (started with Manoel Domingues Poças Júnior in 1918) and still continuing to belong to the very same family (their names have evolved to Poças Pintão and Maia).

I was in for a treat: taste the most of Fora da Série wines, made to experiment and have fun rather than to supply volumes. And wine should be fun for the wine drinkers.

The notorious and evasive “wine drinkers” — let’s actually stop talking about “them” and start talking about “us”. Because “Us and Them”, as in the Pink Floyd song, we are all one — ordinary men and women — drinking wine. With Poças and the team we can in fact see what happens when bright minds rule the company that is currently in the hands of its 4th generation, being one of the rare Port Wine companies that was born Portuguese and has remained in the hands of the same family since its foundation, more than a hundred years ago.

Fora da Série line of wines came to being in 2019 and was a desire to experiment within the house and rediscover old and new techniques and ways of making dry wines. Revolving “limited edition”, the lineup consists of both whites, reds and orange wines (with the latest addition of a Port and an olive oil). With so much to discover, let’s quickly dive in.

There are some unifying features to most Fora da Série wines: André Barbosa & the team are focusing on drinkability, freshness, they do appreciate somewhat oxidative style in whites and fresh easy fruity in reds with lower alcohol levels than you normally would see in Douro.

Fora da Série | Orange Wine 2021

Skin-macerated Arinto and Códega grapes are maturated in old French 300 litre oak casks with bâtonnage for 8 months. Gives light, medium-bodied wine with no perceivable tannins and a very nice freshness.

Fora da Série | Vinho da Roga 2021

This wine was my introduction to the experimental lineup: cheerful, light, glou-glou, a “free spirit”. With some animal notes, it’s even better. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz. 9 months in old French oak casks of 300 liters — you don’t feel the oak at all.

Fora da Série | Plano B 2021 Branco

Gouveio and Rabigato sourced from Douro Superior give great acidity in a very autumnal wine, wide-bodied and round. Where’s the feeling come from? From 10 months in French oak barrels with bâtonnage.

Fora da Série | Acrobata Branco 2021

A truly experimental wine made under a thin layer of “flor” (often found in Sherry wines of Andalucia) and kept during 18 months. Agile, deep, smooth wine. Great oxidative profile. Códega, Arinto, Rabigato.

Fora da Série | Lagar Das Quartas 2021

Made from co-planted red and white grapes and fermented in granite lagares. It’s a bit more extracted and “classic Douro” in its expression, but stays on the fresh side since no wood was used at all, only stainless steel for aging.

Fora da Série | Novus 2020

To me this one is a departure from the easy-drinking and curious wines of the line-up, more power, concentration and rustic than those above. 300L French oak at 14% alcohol both tell the story of this field blend.