Portuguese Bargain

Mark Twain once reportedly said, "If the world ever ends I want to be in Cincinnati because everything there happens twenty years later."  That statement can be very true in regard to wine.

It has been very difficult to find more than one or two Portuguese wines in this area.  There is a lot of Port, but very few choices in dry red wines.  I stopped recently at a wine store that is not on my usual rounds, but is still worth checking out now and then.  There sat a selection of more than a dozen dry reds from Portugal.  Naturally a few came hone with me.

The first one I tried was the 2009 Casa Ferreirinha Esteva from the Douro region.  The wine is a blend of Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Barroca.  The wine was a bright garnet in the glass and aromas of fresh fruit, flowers and allspice just poured out of the glass.  It was fun to just sit, swirl and sniff.  The first sip was very tart with just ripe cherries and strawberries with some red currants thrown in for good measure.  Medium body and mouth feel, but it was the fruit dominated here.  The finish was sweet/sharp but rather short. After a bit of time the wine mellowed somewhat but its prime focus was still tart fruit. 

I drank this with some oven roasted chicken parts and some pasta and it was a good match.  This is definitely a summer red with all the refreshing acidity it carries.  I can't picture drinking it on a cold winter evening but on a hot day it was refreshing and pleasing.

2009 Casa Ferreirinha Esteva.  13% alcohol and $11.