Ramos Pinto Porto Tawny Wine Review by Billy

Nose: hazelnuts, currant and cherry
Palate: silky and voluptuous with mild tannins and mild heat.
Finish: short soft finish with some heat lingering at the back
Overall: I paid $19 for this at a local wine store. I served it with a gourmet dark chocolate spiked with almonds and sea salt. Overall it is a decent port that is easy going and not overly syrupy.

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Casal Garcia Rose 2008 Sponsored Wine Review by Billy

Nose:strawberry on the nose
Palate:slightly sprtizy
Finish:short
Overall:The bubbles are the best part of this wine. The rest of it should be left in the bottle. While it is pretty to look at and the bubbles make it an inexpensive festive wine, the rest of it is unremarkable. Still, it is good to know what is good and what is not this holiday season.

Special thanks to Sar Perlman of Portugal Wines for making this sample available to us at the Wine Cask Blog for review! This is an inexpensive ($9 or so) wine from Portugal - the Vinhos Verdes ("green wine") Region in the north of Portugal.Special thanks to Sar Perlman of Portugal Wines for making this sample available to us at the Wine Cask Blog for review! This is an inexpensive wine from Portugal - the Vinhos Verdes ("green wine") Region in the north of Portugal.

Aveleda Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Branco 2008 sponsored wine review by Billy

Nose:lime citrus and minerals on the nose
Palate:small spritzig with a dry palate, rich acids and mineral textures that burst then quickly fade.
Finish:Short.
Overall:Special thanks to Sar Perlman of Portugal Wines for making this sample available to us at the Wine Cask Blog for review! This is an inexpensive wine from Portugal - the Vinhos Verdes ("green wine") Region in the north of Portugal. This is a good event wine with the dry palate and almost but not quite bubbles and the mineral textures. It is not buttery or cloying like some other whites you might get served as a guest at a party. This wine was delightful before dinner with light snacks.

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Charamba Douro 2007 Sponsored Wine Review by Billy

Nose:A smooth and fruity nose reminiscent of the Spanish Tempranillo grape, some earth and oaky acorn notes are most dominant. Vibrant and enticing.
Palate:firm and youthful acids play about an understated tannin core. Very accessible but definitely young.
Finish: Acorn and Vanilla Cherry finish off very quickly leaving a green apple peel flavor at the very back of the tongue.
Overall: This delightfully youthful mix of grapes from the Douro region of Portugal still looks very young in the glass with a spry purple hue. The nose of the Charamba is wonderful and has enough facets to keep the wine lovers in your life enthusiastic. The palate is not complex which keeps this wine in the easy drinking and have a bottle on hand category. The finish is short but nice and keeps the Charamba balanced. A solid every day drinking wine for a very reasonable price. This wine was sent to The Wine Cask Blog for review by PortugalWines.Org. It retails for anywhere from $7-$12 online and you should ask your local wine store to get a case or two in stock. The 2007 Charamba is accessible and easy going. It is not a complex wine but that makes it easy to enjoy. It's youthful character and easy-on-the-wallet price point mean that it is pleasant to drink and pleasant to share. Raise a Glass to Portugal!

Comenda Grande Tinto 2004 Wine Review by Billy

Nose:Asparagus, loamy earth, milk, mushrooms, soft dark jammy berries
Palate: pleasantly tannic at first but soft with rounded feel. Not big in the mouth but even and subtle.
Finish: cocoa, tapering finish that ends quickly with a tough of green.

Overall: there is no way to describe the excellence with which a wine received as a gift imparts when you open and drink it. This Comenda Grande 2004, a red wine from the Alentejano region of Portugal, was given to me as a gift from a dear friend from Portugal. I was in Lisbon on a business trip and my friend and I got to talking about wine. He gifted me this bottle and another from his own collection. As I drink this wine, I am flooded with pleasant memories of Lisbon, the evening spent watching football at a local eatery, and the friendliness of the Portuguese people.

The wine is a nice table red. A blend of Portuguese varietals Trincadeira, Aragones (aka tempranillo) and Alicante Bouschet, this deep red is flavored predominantly by the Trincadeira and smoothed and rounded by the Aragones.

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Real Companhia Velha Fundador Tawny Wine Review by Billy

nose: warm currant and tobacco
palate: smooth, some tar on the edges, lacking complexity
finish: subtle

overall: Meh. Not a big Tawny. It lacks. It mistakes barrenness for elegance and simplicity for sublimeness. Not my favorite. It has more moderate red wine feel/characteristics than port characteristics.

Still, I cannot complain. After all, I'm sampling Port in Portugal. I'm in Lisbon on business and even this is a treat. Raise a glass to Portugal!