Drink: Vinha do Rosario
Some of the world's great wine values now are coming from Portugal's rising dry wine industry, and this 2013 Vinha do Rosário red from Casa Ermalinda Freitas is a stellar example. Grown in the sandy soil vineyards of the Fernando Pó region on the Setubal Peninsula just south of Lisbon, this wine is a blend of Castelão and Touriga Nacional - two classic Portuguese port grapes - with syrah and cabernet sauvignon.
Some of the world's great wine values now are coming from Portugal's rising dry wine industry, and this 2013 Vinha do Rosário red from Casa Ermalinda Freitas is a stellar example. Grown in the sandy soil vineyards of the Fernando Pó region on the Setubal Peninsula just south of Lisbon, this wine is a blend of Castelão and Touriga Nacional - two classic Portuguese port grapes - with syrah and cabernet sauvignon.
It's ready to drink young, with dark ruby and blueberry fruit flavors framed by firm but velvety tannins and a soft finish of barrel vanilla, plus a hint of mocha. It's an easy sipper and flexible food wine by any standard. But the best part is that it's marked down to $9.99 from a $20 list price by Pennsylvania's good old Chairman Selection program, which makes it a good candidate for an all-purpose house wine to buy by the case.
– Craig LaBan
Casa Ermalinda Freitas Vinha do Rosario red 2013, $9.99 (code 33849)