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Portuguese winemakers hope to replicate the success of their vinho verde, the slightly fizzy white wine that Americans guzzled by the case, with their red wines.

The challenge for the winemakers is to get Americans to taste something other than the vinho verde. Last year, they drank more than 105,000 cases - a 124-per-cent rise in consumption from 2005, according to Nielsen research.

"The U.S. consumer, in my opinion, is always looking for new things. They continue to look for new things to try and don't mind spending when the wine is worth it," said Antonio Franco, a member of the seventh generation of winemakers at the house of Jose Maria Da Fonseca.

Luckily for Americans, even as the U.S. dollar weakens against the euro, most Portuguese wines sell for far less than $20 a bottle.

And for city dwellers, who may lack the room for a decent wine cellar, most of it is meant to be consumed upon release. Of course, one can decide to lay down a case of Periquita Reserva 2004, a blend of castelao, touriga nacional and touriga franca grapes, or Quinta de Cabriz Reserva 2005, for a few years, but it is not necessary.

Mr. Franco's uncle, Domingos Soares Franco, is the chief winemaker of the family and the first to graduate from the University of California, Davis, where he learned to "bring the technology of the New World to the grapes of Portugal," Mr. Franco said during a visit to New York.

The visit followed on the heels of the ViniPortugal trade association show last month that brought more than 60 winemakers, including Quinta de Cabriz's Carlos Lucas, the 2007 winner of Portugal's winemaker of the year, to New York to showcase their wines.

Most spoke of how they used native grapes such as touriga nacional, touriga franca and castelao in elegant blends that reflect the soil.

"We're keeping to our native grapes. It is a point of pride for us," Mr. Franco said.

There are more than 65 indigenous varieties used in the various blends that can produce wines as light as vinho verde or as rich as port and Madeira.

In between are a panoply of reds such as Aveleda Charamba, a medium-bodied red with redcurrant aromas made from touriga nacional, touriga francesa, tinta barroca and tinta roriz, and Ramos Pinto Adriano Red 2006, a deep, inky, almost purple blend of touriga francesa, tinta roriz and touriga nacional that is a wine with structure and finesse.

"People [Americans] don't know the grapes," Mr. Franco said.

"But when they taste the wine, they will really appreciate it."