When I first started tasting wine seriously, I visited the Hunter Valley in Australia. At the time the most popular red grape was shiraz, and locals maintained the best shiraz wines had a "sweaty saddle" nose.

The Herdade do Arrepiado Velho vineyard in the Alto Alentejo region of Portugal produces a wine called Brett, in homage to the best aspects of dekkera.

Its red varietals include touriga nacional, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot.

In the mouth, it offers pleasant acidity with just enough tannin to give the wine texture.

I tasted the wine a week after it was opened and the smooth tannins and good length persisted, suggesting a wine that has potential for ageing.

My favorite wine was the 2008 HAV red blend, a combination of touriga nacional (65 percent) and petit verdot (15 percent) with 10 percent each of cabernet sauvignon and syrah.

In the mouth, the wine feels full and ripe.

As suggested by the expensive and heavy bottle, this is a wine meant to be taken seriously.

...