Wine of the week: Broadbent Douro Red 2020

This Portuguese red blend reminds us heavier wines can still be pleasant

“Smoooth” wine is not the only trend dominating the wine business; there’s also “biggg wine,” aimed at men of a certain age where the point is to make the wine rough and tannic so that one can go around fist-umping after drinking a couple of glasses.

This is not that kind of wine.

Instead, the Broadbent Douro Red 2020 ($13, sample, 13%) is a wine made in a heavier style because that’s what the grapes do when they’re turned into wine. There isn’t any winemaking going on to appeal to specific demographics; in this, it’s what I call an honest wine, in which the winemaker takes what’s there and makes something enjoyable out of it.

In other words, a professional, competent Portuguese red blend (four grapes, including the Portuguese version of tempranillo). That means it’s a little heavier in the mouth than a Spanish tempranillo. But there is also dark red fruit (black raspberries?), softish tannins, and bright acidity. The tasting notes say a bit of spice, and that may well be true.

It needs food, but that’s not a problem this time of year – almost anything on the grill will work, and especially for a Father’s Day barbecue.

Imported by Broadbent Selections