There is no way I can start this post without sharing my elation that my hand is free to type. For those of you who are not in the know, I have been in a cast for exactly 78 days, as reminded to me by my doctor this morning. But now, my cast is gone, and from its hard powdery depths springs a hand that is dying for some sun, a splash in the sea and the ability to type at lightening speed without hearing “clunk” “clunk” every time my plaster thumb hit the space bar. Ahhh, life is officially good.

So getting back to today’s topic, our featured wines of the week consists of a big, bold Portuguese wine called Preta, in addition to a line of wines called “Sexy”. Portuguese winemaker, António Moita Macanita, along with English viticulturist, David Booth, have attempted to design a simple, yet provocative, red, white and rose that are intended to be light, easy drinking and compliment food.

The question though, as posed by Jamie Good of Wine Anorak, is, “Can a wine be sexy?” Jamie argues that these wines don’t necessarily show sex appeal, but more a “hint of seriousness”. If I’m reading Jamie correctly, this isn’t your run of the mill blond bombshell like Pamela Anderson, but instead, more of the demure, sensual and soft spoken type that you’d bring home to mom; essentially, Charlize Theron with glasses working the Dewey Decimal System.

The warm spring rays are now browning your ghostly winter skin; the orange light streams in through your windows well into the early evening; the air is heavy with aromas of fresh cut grass and blooming white lilies, all signaling the perfect time to finally indulge yourself with a bottle of white wine. The big question, however, is which one?

Having come off of two months dedicated to La Rioja, and five long months of winter weather, we opened our refrigerator to a dozen bottles of white, rose and cavas, all beckoning our palates. Yet, behind the small jars of capers, deep in the way back of the refrigerator, past the Norwegian caviar, sat one bottle of Herdade Grande Colheita Seleccionada 2006. We had actually received this wine from the winemaker last summer during our unexpected whirlwind Portuguese wine tasting in Lisbon. So it was fun for us to pull this wine out from the depths of the refrigerator, enjoying some wonderful memories from our stay.

The winery itself is located approximately 5 miles from Vidigueira in the Alentejo. Owning 350 hectares of land, only 60 hectares are under vine, while the remaining 80 hectares are devoted to arboreal culture, 40 to olive groves and the rest to cow pastures. Soils are comprised of primarily red schist, varying in texture from porous to smooth and compact of which both red and white varietals are grown. Native red grapes grown are Arganoes, Trincadeira, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Grossa, Tinta Caiada, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Alicante Bouchet, among none native red varietals such as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. As for white, they grow Antao vaz, Arinto, Roupeiro, Rabo de Ovelha, Perrum, Monteudo and Fernao Pires.

The Herdade Grande Colheita Seleccionada 2006 is made from two common …