Recently we went for a dinner and discovered a new wine. It was called Crasto, from the Duoro region of Portugal, and it was extremely enjoyable. The wine was from 2006, 14%, and the website on the bottle was www.quintadocrasto.it. In the restaurant it sold for $30, so I'm guessing it would sell in the mid teens in the local wine store.
We ate at Amalfi in Rockland, and the wine list showed a definite prejudice for Mediterranean wines. There were quite a few Spanish Tempranillo wines, Italian chianti, and Pinot Noir from various regions. There were the usual Californian wines, Zins and Cabernet Sauvignon, but most of the (red) wine list was devoted to those mid body wines that pair so well with Mediterranean food. We commented to our server that we could tell a lot by the wine list, and she reported that it definitely reflected the personality and tastes of the owner and chef. She added that she was a California girl and missed that new world wines.
Luckily for us, we like old world wines and often don't care for the California fruit bombs in our price range. We narrowed the list down: a Barbara (one of our favorite table wines from Italy), a Tempranillo, and the Crasto, which we eventually settled on.
This Crasto is made from the four grapes that usually comprise Port: Tinto Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Franca, and Touriga Nacional. The first grape, Tinto Roriz, is the same grape known as Tempranillo across the border in Spain. It had some tannins, but they were well balanced, so that it didn't come across as sharp or tart. Dory tasted leather, and I tasted black cherry, and the overall effect was very nice. Because of the balance it drank well as an aperitif as well as an accompaniment to the food. Give it a try, tell us what you think.
Too bad the food at Amalfi isn't as good as the wine! Our last meal there was very disappointing.
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