To start off the new year, we are pleased to offer three incredible wines from Portugal. Portugal has a long history of winemaking, dating back to 2000 BCE. Many Portuguese wines are blends – Portugal has more than 200 native grape varieties. To showcase these different field blends, we have a bright ‘branco’ (white), an easy-drinking, chillable red, and a more robust red with earthy tones.
This bright white blend opens with aromas of wildflowers, cantaloupe, and wet stones. It has a citrusy acidity and complex finish. The Rabigato grape gives it a salty minerality. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeast and aged in French oak for 10 months on the lees. 60% Rabigato, 30% Arinto and 10% Gouveio. Pair with Thai food.
The Producer: Muxagat
Muxagat was first owned and operated by Mateus Nicolau de Almeida along with Eduardo Lopes. Mateus led with the intention to make local-varietal wines, expressed as “wines people would make for themselves”. Once part of a larger company that grew and sold grapes, Muxagat is now 80 hectares of vines, where only the best parcels are used for the Domaine wines. Eduardo’s daughter Susana Lopes now runs the winery operations, with a focus on long-term sustainability and incorporating organic measures to preserve the unique personalities of the indigenous grape varieties. The name Muxagat translates to “owl and cat.”
The Region: Douro
The Douro region is located in northern Portugal, near the border with Spain. It is best known for its fortified Port wines, though wineries here produce quite a bit of white and red table wines as well. Named for the Douro River that flows though the region, the area has a warm continental climate and schist-based soils.
The Grape: Rabigato
Rabigato is a white wine grape native to Portugal. It is one of the oldest grape varieties grown in the country, with written records that date back to the first half of the 16th century. The word ‘rabigato’ translates to cat’s tail.
This light red wine is made with a blend of native Portuguese grapes. The nose is dominated by red fruits, especially strawberries, raspberries, and blackcurrants. With only 11% alcohol, it is a fun, easy-drinking wine. The grapes for this wine are handpicked and undergo spontaneous fermentation in concrete and stainless-steel tanks, along with whole-cluster fermentation. Blend of Roriz Tinto, Barroca Tinto, and Touriga Franca. Pair with wild mushroom risotto.
The Producer: Quinta do Javali
Quinta do Javali is a family-owned farm spanning 18 hectares along the left bank of the Douro River. The farm has a winemaking tradition dating back to the 17th century and has been in the Mendes family since 1982. The estate is dedicated to the cultivation of indigenous Douro grape varietals, a foundation that has spurred two branches of the estates wine production. In recent years, António Mendes has made significant investments in several of the Quinta’s vineyards to convert them to fully organic and biodynamic farming (horse plowed and wild pig (Javali) tilled). His intention here is to signify that the Douro too can produce incredible wines of terroir which are lighter, fresher, and less weighted by higher alcohol. The new presentation reveals the flavors and elegance found naturally in the collaboration of Douro grapes.
The Region: Douro
Vineyards in Douro are generally built by creating steep terraces along the river valley and are known for their rugged beauty. The sites of these terraced slopes have been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This red wine blend has woodland aromas and an earthy and mineral character. Made from a field blend of red wine grapes, it is fermented with wild yeasts in stainless steel. It has velvety and textured tannins and a slightly spicy long finish. 35% old vines field blend, 30% Touriga Nacional, 20% Jaen, 15% Alfrocheiro. Pair with cassoulet (or Portuguese Feijoada).
The Producer: Textura
Textura Wines is a family project that began in 2018 in Dão, on the slopes of Serra da Estrela, and involves organic viticulture, terroir wine production and wine tourism. In search of existing vineyards in a region of small producers, they have 28 hectares of vineyards in eight different plots in Vila Nova de Tazem and Penalva do Castelo. With a low-intervention oenology that reflects the soil and location of each of their vineyards, the goal is to produce distinctive wines with character and elegance. Respect for the place and its biodiversity (soil, flora and fauna, people, and community), preservation of resources (natural and cultural) and local development are the basis of their fundamental principles.
The Region: Dão
The Dão wine region, located in the central part of Portugal, is known for producing elegant and complex red wines that showcase the region’s unique terroir. Many vineyards are situated on granite slopes and terraces. The region’s high altitude, combined with cool temperatures and abundant rainfall, create the ideal conditions for growing grapes with good acidity and structure. The region’s most prominent grape varieties include Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Jaen, which are used to produce high-quality red wines with rich, dark fruit flavors, and a firm tannic structure.
