Description
The Vale de Pios cuvée from Quinta de Vale de Pios is an ambitious and accomplished expression of the Douro appellation. Still in its youth, the wine displays aromas of black fruit jelly, truffle and spices. Its density and depth are underpinned by a well-balanced structure and slightly earthy tannins of the highest calibre. It has enormous ageing potential. Here is a magnificent ambassador for the Douro Valley!
In the vineyard, in the cellar
The Vale de Pios cuvée from Quinta Vale de Pios in detail:
- Appellation: Douro (Portugal)
- Winemaker: Joaquim Almeida
- Grape varieties: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Cao
- Viticulture: Natural
- Soils: Schist
- Altitude: 250 m
- Age of vines: 25 years
- Planting density: 4,800 vines/ha
- Yield: 27 hl/ha
- Yeasts: Indigenous
- Alcohol content: 14%
- Harvest: Manual
- Vinification: The grapes are foot-crushed in stone lagares on the night following the harvest. Crushing continues more gently over the following days. Maceration is long and gentle to ensure excellent ageing potential.
- Ageing: 24 months in French oak barrels
Biodiversity: the key to a unique ecosystem
The quality of the soil, the altitude of 200 metres, the temperature range and the watercourses promote significant biodiversity and explain the location of this very old vineyard. The existing slopes favour vertical planting which, combined with grass cover, allows for better erosion control. In this area with its extreme, arid climate, sources of coolness are of major importance for the quality of the vines. The coolness of the night balances the heat of the day. The vines at Quinta de Vale de Pios are mostly low-yielding indigenous varieties; they were planted before the phylloxera epidemic on soil consisting mainly of schist.
What to eat with a Douro Vale de Pios from Quinta Vale de Pios?
- Matured rib of beef
- Game (wild boar stew)
- Lamb in all its forms
- A cumin-spiced lamb stir-fry or a 7-hour leg of lamb, for example
- Slow-cooked dishes in sauce
