Foz De Arouce, a Portuguese red

One of the wines I bought from the Vinmonopolet was a Portuguese red that I've actually not tried before: Quinta de Foz De Arouce 2006 Beiras. I've tried the reserve version (Vinhas Velhas), but not this, the regular wine - a blend of Baga and Touriga Nacional. It's made by Joao Portugal Ramos from his wife's property, and it's really attractive. The nose shows sweet plummy fruit with some spiciness. The palate is quite Italian in character, with plummy, damsony bitterness as well as sweet cherry fruit, and quite firm structure, as well as fresh acidity. There's some modernity here, but there's also a more traditional earthy spicy character. A solid 88/100.

It's nice to be able to get a wine like this - the Portuguese selection was quite good at the Vinmonopolet, as was the Italian. France was rubbish. German Riesling was one of the few other categories with a decent selection, but then this is a tiny resort town. Prices were quite high with very little under 100 Kr (£10).