Quinta de Azevedo Alvarinho Escolha 2024
This wine is bright yellow in colour. The nose is bursting with ripe stone fruit aromas of peach and apricot. The palate is fresh with ripe fruit flavours balanced with notes from oak ageing, providing creaminess and complexity. The finish is long and lingering.
The grapes for this wine came solely from the Quinta de Azevedo vineyards, which are planted on unique transitional schist soils. These are a rarity in the Minho region (where cooler granite soils predominate), and allow the grapes to ripen more fully, evenly and earlier. The Quinta de Azevedo vineyards were devised using a modern cordon-trained system, to ensure better exposure of the grapes and aeration of the vine canopy, resulting in riper and healthier fruit at harvest. The vineyards are farmed following sustainable practices, with cover crops planted between the vines rows to help to improve soil health, absorb excess rainwater and encourage biodiversity in the vineyard.
The Alvarinho grapes were all hand harvested. Upon arrival at the winery, the fruit was fully destemmed and immediately cooled. The grapes were gently pressed at low temperatures to preserve the delicate aromatics, followed by acold static decantation for three to five days (with the lees removed within the first 24 hours). Fermentation took place at controlled temperatures between 15- 16°C. The wine was aged for six months on lees with frequent stirring, with a portion (15%) aged in used French oak barrels. After bottling the wine was aged for a further three months prior to release.
Quinta de Azevedo is a historic Minho estate, with 34 hectares of vineyards planted with indigenous varieties that produce elegant white wines with a sense of place. Located in the north of the country, near the Cávado River, the Quinta can trace its origins back to the foundation of Portugal in the 12th Century. It was acquired by the Guedes family in 1982, who have renovated the property to preserve its original charm while also embracing a modern approach to viticulture and winemaking.
In the vineyards, they have moved away from traditional pergola systems and planted cordon-trained vines. This allows more air circulation in the vine canopy and sun exposure, resulting in riper and healthier grapes at harvest. Diogo Sepúlveda is at the winemaking helm and makes wines with signature freshness and precision. The grapes are harvested at night, and fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks at cool temperatures to retain the varieties’ natural freshness and aromatics. Loureiro lends aromas of tropical and citrus fruit with a mineral note to the wines, while Alvarinho brings stone fruit aromas, structure and complexity.
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