Great Red Values from Portugal

We have a few wines from Portugal in our cellar, but we don't know much about wines from the sliver of land on the western edge of Spain.

It appears that 2007 was a great year for red wines from Portugal, especially those from the Douro and Dão regions in the northwest.

The spring in 2007 was wet, but the grapes that survived produced great wine. Since the mid-90s, more than 40 red wines from Douro have scored 90 or higher on Wine Spectator's 100-point scale and five scored 95 or higher. Most of these great wines were produced by well-known Port houses and cost $50 to$155 a bottle.

However, the two regions also produced many great values under $10, according to Wine Spectator. Here's a sampling to look for at your wine warehouse:

• Encostas Do Douro Douro Palestra 2007, 91 rating, $10
• Vinhos Douro Superior Douro Castello d'Alba 2007, 89 rating, $10
• Goanvi Estremadura Castel do Sulco Reserva 2007, 88 rating, $10
• Avelda Douro Charamba 2007, 88 rating, $8
• Casa Santos Lima Estremadura Quinta de Bons-Ventos 2007, 87, $9
• Herdade Do Esporão Alentejo Monte Velho White 2008, 86, $10
• Symington Family Douro Altano 2007, 85, $8
• Jose Maria Da Fonseca Vinho Verde Twin Vines 2008, 85, $9
• Casal Branco Ribatejo Qunita White 2008, 85, $9