A new one to me,  this wine is from a mystery 6 pack that Paula at Ultimate Wines (www.ultimatewines.co.uk) put together for me.

Siria, Quinta dos Currais, 2008 – £9

Lots of fresh acidity but also a lovely rounded taste that is at certain moments honeyed, sometimes nutty, then grassy and herbal,  but always interesting. This is a slightly older wine,  so it has had the chance to evolve into a tasty treat.

As with so many other wines, it is made from a grape where the general rule is “it doesn’t make interesting wines”, but I guess this particular winery hadn’t heard this before they went off and did exactly that. Rules like that SHOULD be broken as they rely on outdated “accepted wisdom” that takes no account of the skill of winemakers or the circumstances it was made. The grape is Siria (a new one on me, but so are most Portuguese indigenous varieties) and it was made in a region called Beira Interior that I must read about forthwith.

If you also fancy something different for a change, why not challenge Paula to put something together on your budget, she specialises in unusual grapes and countries and I’m certain you’ll be impressed.

Cheers!