So in honor of living in Seattle, I thought I would broaden my horizons and try some of the local juice. I bought a Syrah from Walla Walla, the hot/boutique-y wine region. It was in the 35-30 dollar range and it is hard to find it much cheaper. It was OK. It had red fruit and booze, would be very nice with some lamb. But it had no character; all show and no dough. It’s like Jessica Simpson vs. Catherine Denueve (see Belle du Jour).

After that disappointment, my friend brought over a 10 dollar bottle of red from Portugal.

2001 Quinta do Alqueve

It’s a blend of funky Portuguese grapes: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Periquita. I’m sure that doesn’t mean much to you (or me). But it had a lot of character, a little bit of funk, and COMPLEXITY. No boring, overpriced wines!!!