Alves de Sousa Caldas Douro 2009

Now that I’ve reviewed almost 50 wines I need to add a comparative voice to my grading. If this was one of the first wines that I reviewed I might have given it a C rating – which means try a bottle, you might like it. But now I have to think of the group of wines that I have already rated C, like the Beringer Cabernet, and decide; is this wine as good as those ones, does it deserve equal status. This actually makes my reviewing much easier as I have more wines to use as a barometer of value. Without going into too much detail on this wine, it does not offer as much value as my other C rated wines so I’ll have to give it a D label and suggest you pass on it.

It’s not a horrible wine, in fact I’m enjoying drinking it. But for the price ($13.40) there are other bottles that I’d put ahead of this one. The grapes are: tinta barocca (40%), tinta roriz (30%) and touriga nacional (30%). The main flaws are – well it’s relatively boring. There just isn’t anything special about it. From the aromatics to the slightly acidic palate and lack of any decent finish. You won’t be missing anything by skipping this one. And it’s not just a reflection of the price point. A good comparison that I did recently is the Barefoot Zinfandel at only $10 that offered a better experience.