FOOD & DRINK / Grapevine: Kathryn McWhirter on Portugal's Finest and some Choice Clarets

PORTUGUESE reds were traditionally high on toughness, low on fruit. Many still are, but more and more are being made with fruit-loving tourists and foreign markets in mind. Here are some current fruity bargains. For everyday drinking, *Ramada Red, Almerim, Ribatejo ( pounds 2.39 Waitrose, pounds 2.55 Thresher, Wine Rack and Bottoms Up) has good, rich cherry and plum fruit, with some tannin. *Leziria Red, Almerim, Ribatejo ( pounds 1.99 Food Giant on special offer until the end of March, pounds 2.29 Kwiksave, pounds 2.49 Gateway and Somerfield, pounds 2.59 Oddbins, Budgen, Victoria Wine and Augustus Barnett) is a little lighter and softer, also cherry-fruity. A table wine from the northern, port-producing mountains, **1992 Quinta do Vale da Raposa Red, Douro ( pounds 4.49 Safeway) has lovely, soft, ripe flavours of elderberry and plum. Rather tougher but with plenty of rich, strawberry, cherry and fig fruit to balance it, try ***1989 Borba Reserva Red (Cork label) ( pounds 8.25 Moreno Wines of London W2 and W9). And here's one from the old days that still has enough rich, soft, tobacco and plum fruit to overpower its tannin: ***1980 Garrafeira Caves Velhas Red ( pounds 5.99 selected Gateway and Somerfield) is delicious and worthy of a special occasion. Fruity whites are also much more the norm in Portugal nowadays than they were a few years ago. **1992 Varandas Branco ( pounds 3.95 Village Wines of Bexley village, Kent, pounds 4.50 Lisboa Delicatessen of London W10) is a lovely crisp, creamy example, with plenty of lemony acidity and a hint of Muscat flavour.

CLARET is a speciality of the 28-strong East Anglian wine shop chain of Thomas Peatling. (They also have a shop in London EC1 and supply by mail order.) My favourite in a recent tasting of not-too-expensive clarets was ***1985 Chateau Tanesse, Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Cordier ( pounds 6.45), a lovely, intensely fruity wine with honey, cedar and raisin flavours and just a touch of tannin - perfect for drinking now. Slightly more tannic, ***1985 Chateau Goujon Marquette, Fronsac ( pounds 5.85) is still soft, ripely fruity and easy-drinking, and *** 1986 Chateau Haut Milon, Pauillac ( pounds 6.95) is rich and well-balanced, with flavours of cedar, grass and baked blackcurrant.

STAR RATING

***excellent, **very good, *good.