Little cheapie recommended to me by a friend who manages the local Bev-Mo… said he thought it rather decent for the price and it’s been flying off the shelf. I rolled my eyes at the horrible name and was gonna pass until I saw it was from Portugal of “indigenous grapes”. Doesn’t say what they are, but I’ve never met a Touriga Nacional or Suzao I didn’t like. Deep, glass-staining ruby red with a razor’s edge of pink and clear, a nose at first showing the flabby *red blend* trademark of oak, sumptuous concentration and hi-alc so popular with folks who shop that dreadful section of the supermarket, but settles down with air into something entirely more funky. Healthy chunks of European dankness and old-world rusticity are everywhere throughout the bouquet–possibly even a charming bit of brett!
Pretty sure the first word on the back label was “smooth”, but I’m not really buying that cloying bit of marketing in the mouth. It’s spicy and acidic and packed with bitter structure, albeit YES: alongside some copious dark, sweet, chubby blackberry and cherry. A bit cloying, but everything else makes up for it in balance. It’s a big, powerful wine, carrying it well on the shoulders of gritty angst. Tannins go light in the finish, but re-appear late in vegetal splendor as the fruit thins. You can do a WHOLE lot worse for 17 bucks, let me tell you. This isn’t something I’d put a case of in the cellar, but for casual drinking or entertaining, it’s def a winner.
2020 SILK & SPICE ‘Red Blend’ “Indigenous Grapes” Portugal 13.5
Stephen McConnell 