The 2008 Tinto (Quinta Dos Quatro Ventos) is a “big three” blend of Tinta Roriz with Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, aged in a mixture of French and Russian oak for 12 months. At the moment, all it shows is oak and more oak. The flavors are strong and prominent, subsuming the fruit in a haze of vanilla and blueberry. That said, this did show nice structure and some focus, the ability to age and to integrate its oak treatment far better. It is fairly lush for a 2008 and it may yet have some things to show us. Drink now-2017. Importer: Tri-Vin Imports, Mount Vernon, NY; tel :(914) 664-3155;

A perfumed, new-wood dominated wine, with mint and toast flavors. It has elegance with layers of black berry fruits. At this stage, the wood is dominant, and the wine would benefit from 2–3 years aging.——R.V.(11/1/2011)—— 91

The 2007 TINTO (QUINTA DOS QUATRO VENTOS) is a lovely Tinto, charming and nicely structured. Aged in a mixture of new French and Russian oak for one year, it is sweet and sexy on the palate, while remaining bright and tight, showing off its structure at the same time as its pleasing fruit. It is rather gripping on the finish. The one quibble here is that there is not a lot of mid-palate concentration, but in its price range this graceful wine should be satisfying and hold reasonably well. Drink now-2017. Caves Alianca and its sister winery Bacalhoa provide some pretty decent values in this report. Just remember that these and most entry level wines hit peak fast and usually need to be drunk on the younger and fresher side for best results.Importer: Tri-Vin Imports, Mt. Vernon, NY; tel. (914) 664-3155; importer for Quinta da Garrida only: Winebow, Inc., Montvale, N.J.; tel: (201) 445-0620

The 2006 TINTO (QUINTA DOS QUATRO VENTOS) is a Douro blend of Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, aged for 12 months in new French and Russian oak. This is elegant and forceful, with a bright demeanor that most 2006s do not have. I liked the red berry notes on the wine and the aromatics. That said, the oak and alcohol (14.5%) also seemed a bit noticeable at times, marring but not spoiling the otherwise good effort with a basic Tinto in a difficult vintage. There were times when I liked it as much as the Reserva, although the Reserva is more ageworthy and has a higher upside. The depth is average at best and it does thin with some air. There were approximately 9,333 cases produced, along with 1,500 magnums. Drink now-2014.Caves Alianca has transitioned to using just Alianca on the labels these days, so look for the wines under “A.” It is nice, actually, to see an effort in Portugal to provide consistent producer labeling across a lineup. It is sometimes a struggle to figure out who the producer is.Importer: Tri-Vin Imports, Mt. Vernon, NY; tel. (914) 664-3155; importer for Quinta da Rigodeira only: Mega Wine, Van Nuys, CA; tel. (916) 686-2144