Taste of Portugal: Wine Rating #4 of 5

The Wine: Alto Pina Castelao Alicante Bouchet Reserva 2003

Winery: Cooperative Agricola de Santo
Country: Portugal

Region: Teras Do Sado

Category: Red Table Wine

Vintage: 2003

Price: $13

Decanted or Not: No

Alcohol: 13%

Tasting Notes:

The Color: Ruby, not as dark as most Portuguese wines.

The Nose: Cherries on the nose, maybe a hint of cranberry, almost tarty

The Taste: Pretty dry wine, cranberries and tartness come through. Acidity was pretty high. Seemed disjointed, poorly put together. Overall, nothing special, nothing to write home about. After the last Portuguese bottled I had, this was a disappointment. I will give it another try tonight.

The Verdict: 7 Corks

Also, I asked this in the comments section, but here it goes again: Did you serve any special wine last night for that special someone or just happen to open a bottle of note last night for any reason? I want to hear about it.

I opened a Henry Estate Pinot Noir 2000 Oregon Umpqua Valley Barrel Select (Hopefully I'll be rating it soon here as our wine tour continues) that was deliciously paired with an aged sirloin. Lets here kids!