In the mouth, you immediately realize this is a wine to chew more than drink. It has almost chalky currant and plum that’s sweet and low in acidity. It’s heavier than Metallica’s early albums (you know, before anyone knew who they were and it was cool to like ‘em).

So, when do you drink a wine like this? Sooner rather than later, but not right away. The tannins are decent, but it doesn’t have the acidity to keep the fruit for eons. If you have a good place to keep wine, keep this one for two years.

That way, you can open it to celebrate when British Sea Power goes platinum (and is thus no longer cool).

Whenever you open it, have a decanter ready or get comfortable with some sediment. This big-ass wine is already throwing more mud than a politician, and it’ll only get worse with age.

Just don’t decant and drink this wine while listening to British Sea Invasion. That I fear would be too cool. You might pull something.

Cheers,
TSW

* - WoW's Splurge Wine designation is given to those bottles that cost more than our self-imposed $20 ceiling, but are just too good to not grab. Sometimes that's easier said than done, but almost all of us spring for a nice bottle once in a while. If you have something to celebrate, WoW's Splurge Wines are a great buy (and still a great value).

WoW
...really excited about wine

Want to be super hip, ahead of the pack and the envy of your friends for being such the trendsetter? Start listening to British Sea Power today -- a great band from the UK that’s bound to become huge (at least within the cool circles).

Want to be thought of the same way by your wine-loving friends? Start drinking Portuguese wines now.

Portugal is obviously not new to wine, but outside of port people don’t drink or think a lot about its vihno. That’s probably because most of it exported to the ends of the globe wasn’t very good. Luckily, that seems to be changing.

This red is a great example of newfound quality from Portugal, and an example of what can happen when you play to your strengths. The grape varietals used here are the same used to make some great port wine, and it makes for a big-ass wine.

The color is a garnet that’s absolutely opaque. It’s deeper and darker than any lyrics from emo-rockers or even Morrissey.

The nose is super spicy and full of licorice. There’s also the scent of raw cocoa and coffee beans, black plum, and smoke.