Trinca Bolotas Alentejo

A taste of the Alentejo, with plenty of personality.
Trinca Bolotas Tinto is one of those wines that doesn't take itself too seriously — and that's exactly part of its charm. Bright, generous and wonderfully easy to enjoy, it captures the warm, sociable character of Portugal's Alentejo in a bottle with a distinctly playful personality. The name itself comes from the porco Alentejano, the famous native pig that roams the region's cork-oak landscapes feeding on acorns, linking two of the Alentejo's great treasures: its wine and its food culture.

Behind the fun label is a seriously well-made wine. The blend brings together Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional and Aragonez, combining the deep fruit and colour of Alicante Bouschet with the floral character of Touriga Nacional and the juicy, approachable personality of Aragonez. The grapes are carefully selected and gently crushed before a period of pre-fermentation maceration and temperature-controlled fermentation, preserving plenty of fresh fruit while building enough structure to make the wine satisfying at the table.

After fermentation, part of the wine spends time in used French oak while the remainder develops in stainless steel, giving the finished blend a little extra texture and subtle savoury complexity without covering up its fruit. The result is a smooth, balanced red with refreshing acidity, soft tannins and plenty of character — exactly the sort of wine that makes a second glass feel like a very good idea.

For wine lovers in Ireland, Trinca Bolotas is an easy introduction to the modern, food-friendly side of Portuguese wine. It's generous enough for a barbecue, smooth enough for a midweek dinner and relaxed enough to bring to a table full of friends. In other words, this is Alentejo wine doing what Alentejo wine does best: bringing people together.

Why we love it:
Trinca Bolotas is a wonderfully uncomplicated crowd-pleaser, but there's more going on beneath the surface than its playful label might suggest. Ripe red fruit, gentle floral notes, soft tannins and refreshing acidity make it incredibly easy to drink, while the Portuguese grape blend gives it plenty of personality. A fantastic everyday red when you want something generous, smooth and genuinely good with food.