Here is a great summer white, affordable enough to drink as a day to day wine, fresh enough to enjoy well chilled in the sunshine and good enough to pair with grilled fish and salads or white meats.
This is one of the first wines to come out of a relatively new winery working with old vines on a family vineyard near the Serra da Estrela mountains, in the heart of the Dão region.
The project is the brainchild of winemaker Lúcia Freitas, previously oenologist at Quinta de Cabriz, who has revitalised her grandfather’s vineyard and olive farm.
The traditional white Dão varieties Encruzado, Bical, Cercial and Malvasia Fina are blended and vinified with minimum fuss to preserve the natural aromas. The wine is unoaked, fermented on the lees and aged in stainless steel, the 2014 having only just been released onto the market.
The wine is a pale yellow colour with floral and citric notes on the nose, fresh and vibrant in the mouth with good acidity.
Being a relatively small production, this wine is unlikely to find its way into supermarkets. It is distributed to restaurants in the Algarve by Wine Emotions but can be bought directly from the company’s warehouse in Mexilhoeira da Carregação or at Terroir Wine Shop & Kitchen in Carvoeiro. The price, at just under €7, is great value for money.
By PATRICK STUART [email protected]
