Sips: From Portugal, Herdade da Comporta Red 2007

Recommended. Red berry fruit and some blueberry emerge as this wine from the Peninsula de Setubal region on the central Atlantic coast opens up. There’s a big oak influence and muscular tannins, which demand red meat. The fruit is concentrated, accented by a powdery cinnamon note.  A blend of 40 percent aragonez (tempranillo), 40 percent alicante bouschet, 10 percent touriga franca and 10 percent trincadeira. Alcohol is 13.5 percent. Decant one to two hours before drinking. I enjoyed it with a smoky steak grilled in the fireplace. Imported by Value Vines, North Caldwell, New Jersey. Received as a press sample.

del.icio.us Tags: Portuguese wines,Portuguese reds,Herdade da Comporta Red,Edward Deitch,Value Vines,Peninsula de Setubal

Sips: Celebrity wines, for better or worse

Do celebrities make better wines? Would you be more likely to buy a wine if a celebrity were associated with it? I explore these questions in my column this week on MSNBC.com. The occasion is Drew Barrymore's debut in the wine business and the release of her first wine, a pinot grigio. How does it stack up? I put it to the (taste) test and take a look at some of the actors, athletes and other celebrities who have been bitten by the wine bug. Click here to read.