Inky black Alicante Bouschet is usually found in Portuguese red blends, there to add deep colour and black fruit flavours. I am enjoying the 2021 but when a glass full is held up to a light, you can just about see the light coming through the wine.

The Alicante Bouschet grapes grow at José’s Quinta do Porto Franco estate, 40 miles north of Lisbon. A legend of Portuguese wine, he combines generations of tradition with an inquisitive spirit undimmed at 60-plus years of age.When Jose Neiva Correira first decided to make a red from pure Alicante Bouschet, a grape usually only used as part of a blend, everyone thought he was mad 'aluado'. The 2018 Reserva was thick black with little or no light getting through, more "body" than the 2021.

Aluado 2019 is a rich, velvety red, great solo or served with roast meats (try lamb or pork) or a herby casserole. Alicante Bouschet produces some of the world's deepest coloured wines and is often used to enhance Portugal's top reds. That didn’t deter José - a talented winemaker, credited by wine journo Tim Atkin as the man behind Portugal’s wine revolution. Now, the “experts” which I am not one, will tell you Alicante Bouschet produces and “uninspiring” wine that lacks distinction.

Although individual vintage reports are still being written, some key vintages of the past 40 years have region-specific reports.