With much of the wine world seemingly reading from the same page, it's thoroughly refreshing that Portugal refuses to grow any of the same grape varieties as you see in France, Spain, or Italy. Portugal has more than ten regions including Douro, Dao, Vinho Verde, Bairrada, Alentejo, and the region around Lisbon. And, some of those grape varieties include touriga nacional, tinta roriz, alvarinho, and an intriguingly named variety that translates to "dog-strangler grape. As the U.S. dollar continues to struggle, and European wines don't hit your budget so well, it will be these up-and-coming countries like Portugal that will fill nicely fill the void. Jerome Smith is a Managing Partner with Select Fine Wines. His thirty year wine career has included positions with Frederick Wildman, Opus One, Wine.com, National Wine & Spirits all around the United States. He is also a Certified Sommelier by the American Chapter of the UK-based Court of Master Sommeliers.