Azul de Ventozelo and Dalva rosés launched 

With the name inspired by the blue doors of one of the centenary warehouses of Quinta de Ventozelo, located in São João da Pesqueira, the Azul de Ventozelo Rosé 2022 has now arrived on the market. both in large distribution and in the online store www.granvinho.pt. After the launch and consolidation of Azul de Ventozelo Red and White, it is now the turn to launch an elegant Rosé with the same name. This completes the Azul de Ventozelo range, which features wines made from the noblest grape varieties in the region and which are an introduction to the spirit of the wines of this unique Quinta. From the mixture of the Tinta Roriz and Tinta Amarela grape varieties, a wine with a pale salmon hue emerges, with a floral aroma (white flowers) and light citrus notes. On tasting it reveals itself to be very mineral, with lively acidity, ending in a persistent and balanced way. A versatile wine, which can be served as an aperitif, accompanying light fish and white meat dishes, or salads. 

This month, Dalva Douro rosé 2022 will also be launched, a light and aromatic wine, just like the current season of the year, produced from grapes from the slopes of the Douro (Ervedosa), Pinhão and Varosa rivers. With a smooth and bright salmon color, this Rosé reveals a fresh and delicate aroma of red fruits, with emphasis on strawberry notes wrapped in citrus nuances of lime, which linger on the palate. Balanced, with good acidity, it provides a refreshing and light finish. The lightness of this DOC Douro Rosé makes it ideal both as an aperitif and with starters or light meat and fish dishes. The Dalva Douro Rosé 2022 joins the Dalva Red and White, a range that has been on the market for over a decade, but which today appears with a new image. These wines are available in restaurants, in the main wineries in the country and also in the group’s online store www.granvinho.pt 

Relais & Châteaux arrives in Dão and Taboadella 

Taboadella started out as one of the best kept secrets of the Amorim family, and is now the first wine producing estate in the Dão to assume the Relais & Châteaux insignia with Casa Villae 1255, joining the Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, in the Douro. 

 Situated in Silvã de Cima, near Viseu, Casa Villae 1255, measuring 720 m2, is an eight-bedroom mountain house overlooking the foothills of Serra da Estrela, originally built in medieval times. This charming village can now be reserved exclusively for those who want to enjoy unique moments with family and friends in a private and extremely comfortable environment. For Luísa Amorim, CEO of the company, «Dão is one of the most emblematic regions of Portugal with enormous potential for new wine tourism projects. Casa Villae 1255 was converted with the intention of feeling the atmosphere of a wine farm. For the interior decoration, we brought together several local artists and craftsmen who created exclusive pieces with an emphasis on natural wool and the porridge blanket, creating a cozy and sophisticated environment» 

 At Casa Villae 1255, everything is thought out in detail: in addition to the breakfast service, included in the stay, there is a welcome basket with a variety of groceries so that guests feel right at home, an invitation to try self cooking in a kitchen with luxury details and a large counter that promotes conversations and dishes around wine. For those who like to be surprised, it is also possible to hire a meal service or schedule a dinner with a chef. 

 One of the most attractive spaces is undoubtedly the outdoor terrace, the ideal place to relax and admire the immensity of the landscape while observing the contemporary architecture cellar, designed in wood and cork by the architect Carlos Castanheira. The building, already emblematic in the region, has an extensive balcony in the tasting room, creating a harmonious relationship with the vineyard and a pleasant feeling of well-being. 

 Guests at Casa Villae 1255 can also enjoy numerous experiences such as visits to the cellar, tastings and activities around wine, basketry and ceramics workshops led by local artisans, yoga and pilates classes, among others. In the garden of Casa Villae 1255, we find the Roman wine press built on the monolithic rock near the old barn of the property that gave rise to the Taboadella wine shop and tasting spaces, where cheeses from Serra da Estrela and sausages from Dão are also tasted, serving as a showcase for local handicrafts. 

 In this region dominated by the magnificence of the five mountain ranges, the possibilities for leisure are endless, including walks and bike rides through the forest, stand-up paddle and diving in the Côvo River to routes through the historical monuments in Viseu and surroundings, activities that complete the best shapes Taboadella’s wine tourism programs and help visitors discover the different terroirs in Dão. 

About Relais & Chateaux 

Founded in 1954, Relais & Châteaux is an association that creates exceptional travel with 580 exclusive hotels and restaurants around the world, run by independent entrepreneurs, almost always families, passionate about their projects and deeply committed to cultivating authentic relationships. with your customers. Present on five continents, the association has been promoting and elevating the richness and diversity of cuisine and hospitable cultures around the world. Relais & Châteaux members are involved in preserving local heritage and the environment, in line with the vision presented at UNESCO in November 2014. 

Casa Relvas celebrates ‘The Day in São Miguel’ 

Casa Relvas opens the doors of Herdade de São Miguel and invites you to the event ‘A day in São Miguel’, where wine, country and Alentejo lovers, and their families, will be able to spend a different and very cheered up. On the 27th of May, from 2:30 pm until sunset, there are several reasons why a walk to Redondo will be a pleasant surprise. 

Wine tasting, gastronomy, handicrafts, music, regional products, traditional games and demonstrations of arts and crafts from the region will show a little of what the Alentejo has to offer. As a backdrop, Herdade de São Miguel, 1 hour and a half from Lisbon, invites you to socialize outdoors, enjoying the landscape, the vineyards, the wine, but also many activities and entertainment. 

Free ticket up to 18 years old. Five euros of the ticket value go to the Food Bank Against Hunger in Évora. 

The Food Bank Against Hunger of Évora is a Private Institution of Social Solidarity that fights against the waste of food products, sending them for free distribution to needy people in our District. It supports 84 institutions (of which 43 monthly), which assist around 5800 people in need. In the last campaign of November 2022, around 2500 volunteers collected 34.6 tons of food from 50 commercial areas. 

Adega de Borba range with new image 

Taking advantage of the market launch of the new vintages of the Rosé 2022 and Red 2021 wines, Adega de Borba decided to renew the image of its most recognized brand, maintaining the distinctive “B” on its label, now younger and differentiating and appealing to the values of sustainability that the company has been deepening over the last few years, and which were recently recognized with certification in the sustainability program for Alentejo wines. 

The Adega de Borba brand, the first to be certified in 1989 as a wine with Denomination of Origin in the Alentejo, and the most important in the offer of the Adega references, thus confirms the will to remain at the forefront of the values of social and environmental responsibility of wine production in the region, communicating its commitment to the consumer. 

 The three wines now presented come from vineyards cultivated in Integrated Production mode, and in addition to the quality selected from the best vineyard plots, they take advantage of the long knowledge and dedication that winegrowers in the Borba region have dedicated to this crop for many years. 

 This new ‘B’ takes us back to the nature where the grapes are produced, and to Adega de Borba’s commitment to working wine in a sustainable way. We know that our long history in the sector makes us even more responsible for the conservation of the natural resources we use in this activity, and we want to underline our desire to ensure their perpetuity for future generations. 

 Produced from the Roupeiro, Arinto and Antão Vaz grape varieties, the Adega de Borba White 2022 has a well-defined citrus color and a good aromatic intensity combining tropical fruits and citrus fruits. The flavor is soft and fresh, with a predominance of lime and a persistent aftertaste of citrus fruits. It is a fresh and light wine ideal for accompanying light meals such as seafood, fresh grilled fish and white meat. A great choice as an aperitif on hot summer days. 

Produced from the Aragonez and Syrah grape varieties, the Adega de Borba Rosé 2022 has a salmon color and an intense aroma of currants and red plums. The flavor is balanced with youth, wild fruitiness and excellent freshness. A young and fresh wine, ideal to accompany light meals such as seafood, fresh grilled fish and white meat. It is also a great option as an aperitif on hot summer days. 

Produced from the Aragonez, Syrah and Alicante Bouschet grape varieties, Adega de Borba Red 2021 has a garnet color with violet nuances, a fine, young and fruity aroma with a predominance of ripe red fruits. Soft and fresh flavor, with some astringency confirming the fruity character of wild berries and red fruits. It is a very versatile wine indicated to accompany the vast gastronomy. 

Quinta de Santa Teresa: new image of the Monólogo range highlights the origin and method of organic production

Located in the Vinhos Verdes region, sub-region of Baião, Quinta de Santa Teresa, owned by the producer A&D Wines, has just launched the 2022 vintage of its range of Monólogo wines with a slightly renewed image. The new labels emphasize the origin of the wines, maintaining the range’s identity. 

 With the aim of highlighting the origin – Quinta de Santa Teresa – but maintaining the identity of the range, the 2022 harvest presents a slightly renewed image with reference to the name of the property and the type of agriculture practiced. «The terroir of our Quintas is special and unique. The idea of slightly changing the image is intended to meet the strategy of reinforcing the origin of our wines and our agricultural and oenological practices», reveals Dialina Azevedo, owner of A&D Wines. 

Produced exclusively from certified organic vineyards, the Monologista range comprises four monovarietal wines: Monologista Sauvignon Blanc, Monólogo Chardonnay, Monólogo Avesso and Monólogo Arinto. 

 In terms of aroma, Monólogo Avesso 2022, produced with the region’s native grape variety, has an expressive profile, with floral aromas, namely white flowers, peppers and a vegetable side. In the mouth it is vibrant, with acidity and minerality in dispute, prevailing notes of stone and some tropical in a set of medium body and persistent finish. 

 The Monologue Arinto 2022 reveals a delicate nose, with notes of green fruit and lemon tree leaf. In the mouth, it has volume and a silky character, in a lively and balanced combination where, in addition to the fruit, notes of wet stone and thyme stand out. 

 With an exquisite profile, the Monólogo Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is a wine that is fresh and has a complex aroma. Exuberant on the nose, it shows a delicate vegetable aspect with notes of asparagus and mint. In the mouth it is expressive and refreshing, with minerality, medium body and good acidity. 

 On the nose of Monologue Chardonnay 2022, the fruity side of the variety stands out with notes of stone fruit, quince and some floral. On the palate it shows volume, with acidity and freshness balancing the round character of the wine.

Lavradores de Feitoria suggests elegant and floral wine for Mother’s Day 

To celebrate and toast Mother’s Day, on May 7th, Lavradores de Feitoria suggests Vinha do Sobreiro red 2016, one of its wines from the terroir range, which stands out for its elegance, with floral and fruity notes, characteristics that match with the protagonists of this event. 

Originating in Quinta de Pias, in Celeirós, in the Pinhão valley, sub-region of Cima Corgo, the grapes that make Vinha do Sobreiro red 2016 come from a vineyard that, as the name implies, is sponsored by a cork oak . The vines are between 30 and 40 years old and are planted at an altitude of around 400 meters and are exposed to the north. Vinified in wine presses and aged in new French oak barrels for 12 months, it is a red with ripe fruit, almost jammed, but with great freshness, which enhances the delicacy and beauty of Touriga Franca, the grape variety that gives it its floral and fruity side, balanced with the structure of the Tinto Cão variety and the rusticity of Tinta Roriz. 

In the glass, it has a bright red color and a fine, elegant, floral and fruity nose. It is possible to notice the wood, very discreet and well integrated, which contributes to its complexity and aromatic enrichment. In the mouth, this red is balanced and full of aromatic notes, reminiscent of ripe red fruits. It has a lively but balanced acidity, soft tannins and a very long and very pleasant finish. An elegant and complex red, which proves to be a good company for the table, with fatty fish and meat dishes, from white to red. Made with the most varied tastes in mind, vegans and vegetarians can also taste this Douro DOC. 

About Lavradores de Feitoria: 

With 20 farms spread across the best terroirs of the three sub-regions of the Douro (Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo and Douro Superior), Lavradores de Feitoria is a wine producer with an innovative business model, which is strongly committed to a logic of social sustainability, economic and environmental. Founded in September 2000, under joint management leadership and a unique oenology team, Lavradores de Feitoria resulted from the union of 15 farmers, owners of 18 farms. For the first time in the region, a group of convinced Douro residents combined knowledge and experience, innovation and tradition, in a joint and solidary effort that marked a new era for the Douro. They came together to share resources and create synergies in order to achieve what they could not achieve alone. Almost 20 years later, Lavradores de Feitoria comprises 53 shareholders, 16 of which own 19 farms, including Quinta do Medronheiro, purchased with the company’s capital. It is precisely in this Quinta, located in Sabrosa, that the new winery of these farmers was recently born. CEO Olga Martins and oenology director Paulo Ruão, who are also shareholders, are the most visible faces of a team of 16 people who work daily so that Lavradores de Feitoria continues to be a wine project that makes the Douro proud. In total, Lavradores de Feitoria has at its disposal grapes from more than 600 hectares of vineyards. The wine portfolio comprises brands such as ‘Lavradores de Feitoria’ (white, rosé and red), ‘Três Bagos’ (Sauvignon Blanc white, Reserva white, Reserva red, Grande Escolha red and Grande Escolha Prolonged Stage red), Meruge ( white and red), Quinta da Costa das Aguaneiras (red) and the new Vinha do Sobreiro (red). It also has celebration wines, such as ‘Lavradores de Feitoria 18 and special projects and brands for specific markets. 

Mónica Jardim and Wilson Honrado praise the 2023 National Wine Tourism Award

The Portuguese Association of Winetourism chose  Mónica Jardim to take the stage of the gala of the best in wine tourism. Wilson Honrado will be the DJ to liven up the party after the awards ceremony.

Last year, the first edition of the APENO – Ageas Seguros National Wine Tourism Award took place during a lively dinner in Lisbon to the sound of saxophones, which left fond memories. This year, in order to liven up even more the gala of the best of the year, APENO chose the Alentejo as a destination and decided to organize a different party than usual. «Awards are very important, but sometimes they take a long time and are a bit boring. So we wanted to go outside the box and do something different. We really want people to have fun and make it a memorable night», says Maria João de Almeida, Executive President of APENO.
According to the director, the choice of Mónica Jardim to present the gala is obvious, as «in addition to being ‘very good looking’ and used to presenting galas, she is a good wine connoisseur and also an ambassador of the Alentejo». After the award ceremony, which will take place in the first part of the event, guests will then be guided to another space in the Convent of São Paulo, in Redondo, where a private party will take place, hosted by Wilson Honrado. «The choice of Wilson Honrado was also evident. In addition to being one of the best-known voices on Radio in Portugal, he is also a famous DJ who animates media events across the country. On top of that, as he is also passionate about wines, he is a convinced wine tourist. This party with him is the perfect match!” jokes Maria João de Almeida. At all times, the wines of APENO members will be served and advertised.
Despite only being in its second edition, this is already considered the reference event in the wine tourism sector. The Main Sponsor is Ageas Seguros, and this edition’s support is from the Alentejo Regional Tourism Authority, which last year was the region that collected the most awards. The 2023 National Wine Tourism Award also includes awards sponsored by the Amorim Group, institutional support from the IVV (Institute of Vine and Wine), as well as other companies that participate in a wide variety of ways, such as Schott Zwiesel; Alug’Aqui, Gifts4Wine, Exame, Gracal, Biosphere, CVR Alentejo, Municipality of Redondo, Abreu Advogados, Yon Wine and Official Ford Dealer | Multiribeiro 2.
Voting for the APENO / Ageas Seguros National Wine Tourism Award 2023 is already underway and will take place until May 19, 2023, through an online platform. The panel of more than 250 judges includes renowned wine and tourism journalists, official wine and tourism entities, chefs and sommeliers, and APENO associates (official bodies that vote in different regions of their country, and professionals in the sector and associates in other people and projects).
The National Wine Tourism Award APENO / Ageas Seguros 2023 distinguishes 14 categories: Best Wine Tourism in Portugal; Best Professional; Best Stay; Best Restaurant; Best Chef; Best Sommelier; Best Tasting Room; Best Tourist Company; Best Inclusive Project; Best Sustainable Project, Best Store, Best Art and Culture, Best Innovation and Technology and Best Hospitality. See categories and judges here: https://enoturismodeportugal.pt/eventos/ This year APENO will also deliver 5 ‘Merito and Incentive’ Awards in order to honor the effort and good practices of the participating companies that have been evidenced by their work.
It should be remembered that APENO was born in February 2021, already counting on the largest wine producing companies in its already wide range of associates. Its main objective is to organize and support the dynamization of the wine tourism sector. To this end, it has the support of several companies that, from the very beginning, believed in the existing potential.

About Mónica Jardim
Daughter of a Spanish mother and a Portuguese father, she is one of the most popular television presenters. With a degree in International Relations, she hosted the magazine Deluxe, Somos Portugal, Música TOP K, A Tarde é Sua, among others. She has also participated in programs such as ‘Dança com as Estrelas’ and ‘A Tua Cara não me é Estranha’. She is a frequent face of TVI’s special programs, galas and other events, such as Christmas, birthday, summer parties and even the release of soap operas or other novelties on the programming grid of the Queluz channel.

About Wilson Honrado
She is one of the best-known voices on Radio in Portugal, currently animating Rádio Comercial afternoons and weekends on ‘The Weekend’, the station’s only dance program. As a DJ, Wilson Honrado was a resident of the mythical Locomia. In recent years, he has been a regular presence on the biggest national stages such as Meo Marés Vivas, Festival do Crato, Expofacic, Fatacil, Festival F, Ovibeja or Feira de São Mateus. The contagious energy of his performances drives him to parties and events, from north to south of Portugal. In Lisbon, he took to the stage several times at the Altice Arena, the largest concert hall in the country, having opened Beyonce’s shows, at Move Ya Body (where Rihanna and the Pussycat Dolls performed) and also at the Opening of Xmas in The Night, from Commercial Radio.

Symington launches 2021 Graham’s PortoVintage The Stone Terraces 

The Symington family has just announced the bottling of Graham’s The Stone Terraces Vintage Port of 2021. Born from two low-yield plots, with less than three hectares, spread over narrow terraced vineyards, on Graham’s main property, in the Douro, Quinta dos Malvedos , this Vintage Port is only produced in years when the vineyards produce wines of incomparable elegance and complexity. This is only the fifth time that Symington has decided to produce a Graham’s The Stone Terraces Vintage Port, joining the year 2021 with the previous editions of 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2017. 

  The Stone Terraces 2021 Vintage Port has lively and fresh aromas, with the unmistakable trace of tropical fruit – the hallmark of this wine –, also being characterized by being a concentrated wine, but at the same time supremely refined with polished tannins and acidity. tense, which draws exquisite elegance and balance. Only 4,800 bottles of 75cl and 280 “tappit Hen” bottles (triples of 225cl) will be bottled for marketing, which corresponds to just two percent of the total production of Quinta dos Malvedos, in 2021. The wine will also be launched en primeur, during the spring of this year. 

With regard to the growth cycle and the 2021 harvest, these were among the freshest in recent years, guided by moderate conditions that favored slower and more gradual maturation, with good balance. It should be noted that the stone terraced vines are mostly planted with mature Touriga Nacional, but there are also some small, more recent plantings of Touriga Franca, Sousão and Alicante Bouschet. The grapes from these vineyards were harvested simultaneously and co-fermented (vinified together) in order to enhance the complexity, structure and freshness of The Stone Terraces 2021 Vintage Port. 

When evaluating the best wines produced in 2021 at all the Symington family farms in the Douro, Charles Symington, production director, was truly impressed by the quality of the wines from the terraces of Quinta dos Malvedos. The family therefore took the rare decision to make a limited bottling of Graham’s The Stone Terraces Vintage Port. “My family has valued the hand-built stone walls of Quinta dos Malvedos for a long time, as they produce wines with an incredible and unique profile, which are clearly distinguished from the other wines produced there. After being abandoned following phylloxera, these terraces were meticulously rebuilt by hand at the end of the 19th century, designed to produce Port wines of exceptional concentration and power, using centuries-old viticulture techniques”, said Charles Symington. 

The manager also explained that «while the Malvedos have an exposure mainly to the south, the terraced stone terraces are made up of two vineyards with cooler exposures: the first, designated ‘Port Arthur’ has two adjacent plots, with west and east exposures, while the second, known as Vinha dos Cardenhos, faces north. The shale walls of these terraces have the particularity of storing, throughout the day, solar heat, which is then slowly released during the night. This phenomenon favors the evolution of maturation in a gradual and more homogeneous way and this effect, in addition to the fresher exposures, explains the fascination of these vines that we work with and why they give rise to one of the best wines we produce in the Douro».  

As these terraced vineyards consist of small plots of very restricted production, the quality is not always necessarily in line with the trend of classic Vintage years – as was the case in 2021. The family felt that the best expression of the year was in their main estates, deciding to bottle the following Quinta Vintage Ports: Cockburn’s Quinta dos Canais 2021 Vintage Port; Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim 2021 Vintage Port; Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira 2021 Vintage Port; Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos 2021 Vintage Port and Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha 2021 Vintage Port. 

After careful evaluation of these Quinta Vintage Ports, the family decided to launch, en primeur, a small quantity of Quinta do Bomfim 2021 Vintage Port in 2023. The remaining Vintage Ports will age in the family cellars for future release. 

The family chose not to bottle Vintage from Quinta do Vesúvio, as the winery was closed for the 2021 harvest due to restrictions related to covid-19. It was the second year (following 2020), since the construction of the winery in 1827, that there was no stepping on the lagares. Staying true to tradition, the family decided not to bottle Vintag

Quinta de Camarate launches two singular and versatile whites

The white wines Quinta de Camarate Branco Doce and Branco Seco 2022 are already on the market. Produced by José Maria da Fonseca, at Quinta de Camarate, located next to Serra da Arrábida, these two wines come from clay-limestone soils and reflect the characteristics of the unique terroir of this property.

Quinta de Camarate Branco Doce 2022 reveals aromas of tropical fruits, is a sweet and velvety wine, with an excellent balance between sweetness and acidity, and results from the blend of Alvarinho (52%) and Loureiro (48%) grape varieties. This wine has a golden yellow color, a floral aroma that also combines some minerality. Its vinification is carried out in an open spout at 16ºC, and should be consumed while young at a temperature of 10/11ºC. It is ideal to be enjoyed as an aperitif or to accompany sushi and desserts, such as egg sweets.

Quinta de Camarate Branco Seco was born in 1986, and was originally produced using Moscatel de Setúbal, Riesling and Gewurztraminer grape varieties. In the 90s, there was a renewal of varieties in this wine, replacing these foreign varieties with two Portuguese varieties, Loureiro and Alvarinho. In 2007, there was a new change in the varieties used to prepare this wine, as Loureiro was replaced by Verdelho, with the aim of making it more complex and full-bodied. José Maria da Fonseca gradually reduced the use of Moscatel grapes in this wine, in order to give more preponderance to the other two varieties that make up Quinta de Camarate Branco Seco, with Moscatel eventually leaving the composition of the blend from the 2009 vintage. The 2022 vintage of Quinta de Camarate Branco Seco has 85% Alvarinho and 15% Verdelho, resulting in a fresh, mineral wine with a long aftertaste. Highlighting the light aroma of fresh and mineral lantana, green tea and mother silva. With a citrine color, it is a white wine that reflects the classic open spout winemaking process. It should also be consumed when young, at a temperature of 8º C, being the perfect accompaniment to fish or seafood dishes.

Property of the Soares Franco family for several generations, Quinta de Camarate is located in Azeitão and has a total area of 120ha, of which 39ha are dedicated to vineyards. The remaining area is used for grazing the sheep, which produce the famous Azeitão cheese, and which are featured on the Quinta do Camarate label. The ampelographic collection of José Maria da Fonseca is also planted on this property, which currently has more than 560 different grape varieties, from the four corners of the world.

Quinta da Corte launches new vintages 

Quinta da Côrte has just presented four new vintages of wines – Côrte DOC Douro White 2022, Princesa Reserva DOC Douro Red 2021, Quinta da Côrte Grande Reserva, DOC Douro Red 2018 and a Port Wine, Quinta da Côrte LBV 2018 – and a new olive oil crop: Azeite Quinta da Côrte BIO, the first organic olive oil from Quinta da Côrte. These are the first novelties from the Douro region’s farm to be released in 2023, the year celebrating the 10th anniversary of Philippe Austruy’s property, which will bring many other surprises this special year 

 «Throughout this year, during which we will celebrate a decade of Quinta da Côrte’s history, we plan to present several novelties and very special products, with great quality. To inaugurate the launches that will be made in 2023 in the best way, we are now presenting four new harvests in March and even our first organic olive oil, a 2022 harvest that we believe is up to a year of celebrations», says Marta Casanova, general manager of Quinta da Côrte since the beginning of the project. «Presented in 2023, an extremely important year for our brand, these new vintages make our team very proud of the work it has been developing, always focused on innovation and, simultaneously, on Douro traditions», adds the person in charge. 

 With buttery and smoky notes, conferred by the wood, the Côrte DOC Douro Branco 2022 (20.25€) is very fresh and presents white fruit and floral aromas. In the mouth it is very lively and has a good acidity, being soft and persistent. To be enjoyed with codfish confit over mashed potatoes and sautéed turnip greens, for example, this 2022 wine – a very hot and dry year – was produced only with the Viosinho variety and underwent fermentation in 500-liter Austrian oak barrels and was aged in same barrels until bottling. 

 Alongside the Côrte DOC Douro Branco 2022, the producer has also just presented the Princesa Reserva DOC Douro Red 2021 (€25.70), vinified in stainless steel vats with temperature control, with prolonged maceration, and aging in 500 oz barrels. liters of French oak and in 3,000 liter Foudres until bottling. This red, composed of several grape varieties (25% Tinta Barroca, 10% Tinta Roriz, 20% Touriga Nacional, 30% Vinhas Velhas and 15% Touriga Franca), has a deep purple color and very fresh aromas of red fruits, such as blackberry and currant. black, and some spices, in harmony with floral notes. In the mouth, soft tannins and a lot of elegance, which goes perfectly with roast meat and hot flavors such as purées, potatoes, pumpkin. 

Another novelty from Quinta do Douro is Quinta da Côrte Grande Reserva DOC Douro Red 2018 (58.85€), a wine with a dense garnet color, produced with the Touriga Franca (60%) and Touriga Nacional (40%) grape varieties. With vinification in stainless steel vats, with temperature control, prolonged maceration and aging in 500 liter French oak barrels until bottling, this is a great wine, a great reserve. In the nose it is very elegant, and presents aromas of black fruits – blackberry and blackcurrant – and chocolate, balsamic notes, being harmonious. In the mouth it is long and very elegant, and ideally harmonizes with warm and comfort dishes, such as lamb roasted in a wood oven with potatoes and vegetables. 

 The Port wine Quinta da Côrte LBV 2018 (29.05€) is the fourth novelty presented by the producer from Valença do Douro at the beginning of the year. Ideal for pairing with chocolate desserts, buttery cheeses, almonds or chestnuts, this new vintage was vinified in foot-treaded presses and aged in wooden barrels. The LBV 2018 is composed of a blend of grape varieties from the old vineyard plots of Quinta da Côrte and, with a dark colour, it is a fresh and fruity wine, with aromas of chocolate and subtle notes of licorice and spices. Full-bodied and with firm and well-integrated tannins, this Late Bottled Vintage demonstrates great balance and elegance, and can be enjoyed still young. 

 To round off the range of novelties, Quinta da Côrte also presents the Quinta da Côrte BIO Olive Oil (18.90€), from 2022, with a mixture of traditional Douro varieties – mature, verdeal, cobrançosa – well-adapted to the soil and Douro climate. This is the first harvest of organic olive oil at Quinta da Côrte, produced from centenary olive trees, located along the banks of the Torto River. The olives were harvested manually and the cold extraction process maintained the excellent organoleptic characteristics of the olive oil. On the nose, Quinta da Côrte BIO Olive Oil is complex, fruity and fresh and, on the palate, it is soft, very fruity and slightly spicy, making it ideal for seasoning all raw vegetables, fish and marinades. This new harvest of olive oil can also be used to make dishes and desserts. 

 To mark its 10th anniversary as a wine producer, Quinta da Côrte is developing several initiatives throughout the year, under the motto of the four elements of nature – water, air, earth and fire – all connected in some way to the world of wines, and to the universe of Quinta da Côrte. Alongside the initiatives, which aim to celebrate the history of this ancient Douro farm, which dates back to the mid-18th century, Quinta da Côrte also looks to the future, with a clear vision that there is still much to do, much Douro to give. , and that’s why it starts by presenting these novelties, and gathering friends, customers and family around a glass, and a bottle of Quinta da Côrte! These new, limited-edition vintages are on sale in wine cellars and specialty stores across the country.