2020 Quinta da Costa do Pinhao, Douro, Gradual B Side

Portugal is THE place for value in wine these days. This is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Francisca, and Tinta Roriz (these are the same grapes used for Port). They are 7th generation farmers that used to sell all their grapes to port houses but have made their own wine since 2014, all with the help of luminary Portuguese winemaker Luis Seabra. Luis was the winemaker at Niepoort for a long time before striking out on his own. He has his own eponymous label, and he consults with a number of up-and-coming wineries. A customer favorite — clean but honest, medium bodied red with fresh, punchy red fruit.