It gets those sturdy qualities from its grapes -- a muscular mélange of more than a dozen Portuguese varieties most of us have never heard of. Grapes like touriga nacional, tinta barroca, touriga francesa, tinta roriz, tinto cao, sousao, tinta amarela, mourisco and the unfortunately named bastardo.

 

Proper grapes for port. But until now, most considered them too rough to be used for table wine. Without that redeeming sugar, they were just too . . . uncouth. Take the enamel off your teeth.

 

Years ago, on a cold, rainy, steep and muddy vineyard slope beside Portugal's Douro River, a friendly picker offered me a tin cup of a one of the old-style table wines made of port grapes to ward off the chill. I was warm for days.

 

In these modern days, though, Portuguese winemakers know how to tame those qualities a bit through greater ripeness, temperature-controlled fermentation and other alchemies. Credit the increased research funding that came after 1986, when Portugal joined the European Union.

 

And, of course, they skip the fortification with brandy, so you get a regular 12 or 13 percent table wine rather than a port, which can be up to 20 percent alcohol.

 

So here we are tasting table wines from what used to be best known as port grapes. It's variety like this that makes wine tasting fun.

 

Some of the best are being made by a knowledgeable new 'Prats & Symington' partnership. The Symingtons, of British origin, have been in Portugal making port since 1882. They own such top port houses as Warre, Dow, Graham and Quinta do Vesuvio. Prats is a leading Bordeaux winemaker, former owner of Chteau Cos d'Estournel.

 

Together they're making wines with grapes from the Symingtons' top Portuguese vineyards using Bordeaux techniques, including aging in new French oak barrels.

 

There are no shrinking violets among them. They are complex and elegant, but also big, powerful and unashamed of their tannins. Grill up a big New York strip and enjoy.

 

A postscript: There still doesn't seem to be a table wine made of the bastardo grape. Probably a marketing decision. How'd it be if your lover invited you for an intimate evening and you showed up with a dozen roses and a bottle of . . . well, you get the picture.

 

 

• 2004 Dow's Vale do Bomfim Reserva, DOC Douro (touriga franca, tinta roriz, tinta barroca): aromas of violets and cedar, flavors of black cherries and espresso, firm tannin; $12.

 

• 2004 Prats & Symington's Post Scriptum, DOC Douro (touriga nacional, touriga franca): powerful black pepper and black plum flavors, smooth body, firm tannin; $24.

 

• 2003 Prats & Symington's Chryseia, DOC Douro (touriga nacional, touriga franca, tinta roriz, tinta cao): complex, powerful aromas and flavors of black cherries and cloves, smooth and creamy, with powerful tannin and a long finish; $66.

 

 

• 2003 Altano, DOC Douro (tinta roriz, touriga franca): Soft and fruity; flavors of strawberries and cherries; $8.

 

• 2004 Quinta de Roriz's Prazo de Roriz, DO Douro (touriga nacional, tinta roriz): medium-bodied and crisp with flavors of red cherries and minerals; $15.

 

• 2002 Quinta de Roriz's Reserva, DOC Douro (touriga nacional, touriga franca): tar, cloves and black plums; smooth, opulent; firm tannin; $27.