Tasting - "Varas Vinho Tinto"

**Please only pay attention to the LABEL as the wine review was from a BOX wine.
Image: www.slonecznawinnica.pl
Tasting: 4/5/12

Name: Varas Vinho Tinto
Variety: 45% Castelao, 25% Tinta Roriz, 20% Tinta Barroca and 10% Pinot Noir
Region: Estremadura
Country: Portugal
Year: NV
Price: $21.95 for a 3 Liter Box (Vintage Cellar)

Vintage Cellar Wine Review: This smooth Portuguese red is a blend of Castelao (45%), Tinta Roriz (25%), Tinta Barroca (20%), and Pinot Noir (10%). The vineyards are located near Lisbon, planted in sunny gentle slope of clay and limestone soils. The wine was aged in oak barrels.

My Personal Wine Review: I first learned that the wine had been opened a week before and this only made me more curious. The first thing that caught me eye was how dark the color of the wine was. After noticing this and then smelling the wine I could definitely sense the "oakiness" of the wine. I got a complex bouquet of chocolate, sour cherries and oak. The wine was medium bodied as it was sweet yet dark. There were light tannins near the end, but overall it was very smooth. This was an interesting, yet unexpecting good wine.

I did not have food with this wine.