Nice Portuguese Red

I was trolling the aisles at the Mothership last week and I came upon a Portuguese red, on sale, that I had never tried .

Bought a bottle, brought it home and had it with dinner . Dinner was Pork Back Ribs with a mildly spicy/sweet sauce and the wine was a lovely match so I went back and got another bottle because often a discounted price and an older vintage can indicate bottle fluctuation but bottle #2 was delicious as well, this time with home made pizza.

The wine is Vinha Do Algueve 2006, it generally sells for $12.99 but is on sale for $10.99 this month. There is reasonable distribution in Vancouver, with 10 stores stocking it but not much in any store. The wine is made from a blending of traditional Portuguese grapes as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine is fermented in stainless steel and then receives six months barrel aging in French oak. The wine is medium to full bodied with nice red berry flavours and a pleasant balance of oak, fruit and acid . Interestingly enough despite almost four years of bottle age the wine is fresh and vibrant, not something you often see at the sub $20 price point, and probably why I haven't tried it before.

While not a "must have" I would certainly recommend grabbing a bottle or two of this wine for partnering with the hearty winter meals that we should be eating at this time of year, it's good value at $12.99 and very, very good value at the reduced price.