The 2007 TINTO BAIRRADA is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Baga and Tinta Roriz, produced for the brand by Caves do Solar de Sao Domingos. Laced with some game nuances, it is crisp and tight on the finish and modest in the mid-palate. It has a graceful feel, but with some power on the end. For its price level, this has nice structure and considerable character. If it is your style of wine, and it won’t be everyone’s, it provides considerable value for the money. Drink now-2017. These wines, from Wines and Winemakers by Saven, are meant to create under one brand name (Azul Portugal) a series of wines representing regions in Portugal. Hence, they have Azul Portugal Douro, Azul Portugal Alentejo, and so on. The wines are made for the brand by various wineries, with particular winemakers linked to Saven often overseeing the final results. The juice can also be bottled under the winery’s own brand—but Saven indicated to me that the exact Azul Portugal blends and treatment are generally intended to be unique to Azul Portugal. Here’s an example: the 2008 Catapereiro from Companhia das Lezirias reviewed this issue is Castelao, Alicante Bouschet and Trincadeira, while the Azul Portugal Tejo wine made by Companhia das Lezirias is indicated only as Castelao and Trincadeira. Moreover, the Castelao comes from separate vineyards for the two bottlings, Saven said, and the Trincadeira, while from the same vineyard block, had different fermentations. With that trivia out of the way, focus on the important thing: as a group, these wines provide some bang for the buck.Importer: Iberia Wines & Spirits, East Hartford, CT; tel: (860) 291-8988