Saturday, April 18, 2015

Issue XXIV: Gloria Reynolds Tinto Real Edition

Gloria Reynolds Tinto Real [Blend]



When someone mentions wine and Portugal, the natural inclination is to think of Porto wines and stop there, possibly, if they’re a bit more versed in the wine world, with some of the whites originating from that region also. But for the reds, the mind might more naturally drift to France or Italy or Spain, perhaps all three, first and maybe solely and with good reason. It’s true there is not a lot of prominence from Portugal in this category, but if all the offerings were of a similar nature to this, it would have more notoriety. As it is, this alone is very worthy and notable, even compared to the rest of the usual wine-making region hitters.

What we have here is a very nice fruit-forward wine that can start a bit rough and rocky, but mellows with air time into something quite smooth and balanced, with just enough hint of astringency to put a little edge on it and keep it from being over-fruity. Despite the sort of non-Portuguese sounding name of Gloria Reynolds, the tradition there dates over 200 years. The blend of several grapes, including Tempranillo, creates a very artisanal wine that is both full-bodied and dense, yet fantastic for sip after sip.

Generally speaking, this wine runs around $14/bottle, so its acquisition here is more of an occasional nature. I’ve yet to ever see it on SPA, so this entry, though very worthy, is another one that comes in at Mixed.

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