Monte Velho 2011 Red Wine

“I want to go to there.” – Liz Lemon, “30 Rock.”

First thing’s first – Liz was talking about a place, not a bottle of wine. But work with us here…you can use this wine to take a virtual trip to an outstanding part of the world. Right? RIGHT?

Obrigado, Portugal. And thanks for this rather outstanding trip to your country, through one out-flippin-standing bottle of red.

To the review!

Monte Velho 2011 Red Wine Review

You know you’re in for an adventure when the highly knowledgeable wine steward at the highly reputable store tells you, point blank, that this wine contains “three grapes I’ve never heard of.”

Those grapes are Trincadera, Aragonez, and Castelao. Don’t worry, I hadn’t heard of them, either.

What do we call this blend? Don’t know. Not sure I care. Wine was awesome, just outstanding. Probably justifying an A-…but first, a little more.

Taste

“Soft tannins.” Yeah, that’s probably the winner. Really smooth. Nose isn’t over-powering. And the fruit? There’s fruit – berries, cherries – but it’s not a fruit bomb like a Malbec. Extremely mellow.

Profile

Trincadera 40%, Aragonez 40%, Castelao 20%. 14% ABV.

Vinho Regional Alentejano. I didn’t know there are 14 different wine regions in Portugal.

(BTW, need more info on the Wines of Portugal? Well, there’s a website for that – Wines of Portugal.)

Value

TEN BUCKS. Drinks like 20 or 25. You MAY want to let it open up for awhile – I’d recommend a good long decant – or cellar this if you want. But it’s drinkable today.

Did I mention it was TEN BUCKS?

Metasip Grade: A-

Yes, it earned an A-. That means like a 90 or 91 on the traditional 100-point scales. At $10 a bottle (wait, you didn’t say it was TEN BUCKS!) it is well worth your time.

As for the folks from Portugal: call me. I want to go to there. Or drink the wines from there. (Or…both.)