Quinta do Portal Colheita Douro 2009

93 Points Wine Enthusiast

Producer: Quinta do Portal

Country: Portugal

Varietal: Douro Red (blend)

Vintage: 2009

Alc/Vol: 13.5%

Retal: $14.99

My Rating: 94 Points

Food Pairing: Pork Tenderloin with a Spicy dry rub

I first tried this wine about a month ago, the distributor held a tasting for us since it was my stores' newest program wine. Having walked by this wonderful bottle several times today, I started to imagine the things I could pair with it. Of course at the end of my day, without surprise, I bought a bottle.

After opening, I let the bottle breathe for about 10 minutes as I prepped dinner to be cooked. With the oven heated and the pork tenderloin (seasoned with a spicy dry rub and stuffed with peppers and onions) cooking, I poured myself a glass of this spectacular wine. The color is a very dark ruby, almost plum, and shows very nice legs after swirling in the glass. The first whiff brings aromas of truffle, must, and earth. It is a very distinctive nose and pleasant after a while. 

The first sip brings on flavors of ripe red fruit, truffle, hints of chocolate, and some spice/pepper on the end. The finish is rather nice, lasting over 30 seconds and somewhere close to a minute. This is definitely a full bodied wine with a perfect level of acidity. The ripe fruit is balanced by gentle but firm tannins, making it something dry and sweet wine drinkers can both enjoy.

Overall, this is an excellent bottle of wine and you will be hard pressed to find another of the same quality at $15. It is more than worthy of the 93 points given to it by Wine Enthusiast, which is why I set my personal rating at 94. If you see this bottle on the shelf, Buy it!

Trivento Reserve Malbec 2011

Producer: Trivento

Country: Argentina 

Appellation: Mendoza

Varietal: Malbec

Vintage: 2011

Alc/Vol: 14%

Retail: $8.99

My Rating: 85 Points

Food Pairing: Steak seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika

This was a new arrival at my store in our highly rated under $10 section, in which the wine must have been professionally reviewed and rated at least 89 points and above and of course be under $10. After receiving recommendations from several co-workers, I decided to give this bottle a try.

The wine greets you with aromas of currant, blackberry, spice, and a hint of alcohol (which at 14% is not surprising). With a deep ruby appearance, nice legs, and rather pleasant nose my first impression was rather good. The first sip reveals a somewhat unbalanced alcohol level that first overpowered any other flavors, with a decent level of acidity, and a lighter body than what I am used to with a Malbec. A couple sips in, hints of dark fruit and plums are uncovered. It finishes with the oh so common, and always appreciated, spice/pepper of a Malbec with a medium length. 

Overall my impression of this wine is somewhat disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it was a very decent bottle, but after the glowing recommendations from my co-workers I was expecting something truly amazing. This serves as a decent table wine, best paired with heavier meat dishes such as steak and hamburgers. I would say this is an everyday wine, nothing special. It is definitely a good value for the money, but I would spend the extra $2 and get something a little better quality, especially if I bought an expensive steak! 

Welcome!

Hi everyone, welcome to Experience Vino!

The purpose of this blog is to document my journey as I experience wines from all over the world. I currently work for a company that imports wines from Australia, Italy, Spain, and several other countries. I figured I would share my journey with who ever wanted to read about it! 

I hope to post to this blog around 1-2 times a week, or more depending on what I drink. I want to share with you the wines that I have tried on my own as well as what I have tried through work, food pairings, and great value wines. I be using a rating system for the wines which I will explain in an upcoming post.

Just as a disclaimer, If I say Zinfandel and you think Beringer White Zin, then this blog is not for you. The wines I drink are big, dry, bold red wines and come no where close to the sweetness of a white zin. I am not trying to tell you what to drink, only that if you like sweet things than you will not like the wines I like. Just so you know!