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Douro Valley White 2023
$24.95
Cortes Do Tua
- Country: Portugal
- Region: Douro Valley DOC
- Varietal: Blend of regional grapes (Viosinho, Rabigato,Gouveio, Códega do Larinho)
- Alc/vol: 13.5%
- Sweetness: Dry
- Cellaring Potential: Drink now through 2027
This is a beautiful example of white winemaking from high altitudes. Intense aromatics of pear, lemon, apricot and peaches. The palate follows the nose with plenty of ripe stone fruit flavours and a mineral undertone that provides depth. Full bodied with crisp acidity creates a cleansing sensation that keeps you coming back for a another glass.
Pair this with typical Portuguese tapas of olives and cured meats, or the delicious and popular dish Bacalhau com Natas – baked cod fish with cream.
In stock
The grapes that make up this Douro Valley white wine are planted at elevations between 500 and 700m above sea level. Although it is an extremely hot (up to 50ºC) and dry area where grapes can ripen quickly, unique terroir of high elevation and granitic soils provide complexity and elegance to the finished product.
Vinification notes:
- All grapes are harvested by hand and hand sorted due to the extreme slopes of the Douro Superior region
- Night picking occurs to avoid hot temperatures during the day (harvesting ENDS each day around 10am!)
- Fermented in stainless steel vats, at low temperatures, for one month
- The wine rests for 6 months in tanks until bottling
Read More About
Mountain Wines from Douro Superior
The Douro River begins at the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Portugal and winds it’s way east to the border of Spain. In terms of winemaking, the region can be divided into three sections:
- Baixo Corgo
- Cima Corgo
- Douro Superior
Furthest inland is the The Douro Superior, meaning the ‘Upper Douro’, and its known to be the hottest and driest part of the valley. You can find hundreds of indigienous grape varietals in the Douro Superior, some of which are planted together, and many of them, old vines planted decades ago.
The entire valley is very mountainous and vineyards are planted up to 700m above sea level. The mountainous terrain creates many unique microclimates and exposures that differ to the rest of the winemaking world. To manage the extremely steep slopes, the vineyards are terraced which provides ample amounts of sunlight to the grape bunches, but it also creates difficult paths for humans – and moreso machinery – to travel along. Therefore, harvest time in the Douro Valley is highly labour-intensive as most vineyards are picked by hand!
FUN FACT: In 2001, the Douro Valley was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in the cultural landscape category.
Cortes Do Tua: Rising Stars of Portuguese Wines
‘Cortes’ is the Portuguese translation of the word ‘blends’, explaining the winery name with it’s unique combination of indigenous grape varietals grown on the slopes of the Tua River. Winemakers and partners in life, Duarte da Costa and Ana de Almeida have been cultivating 15 hectares of land in the Douro Superior for the past decade. Both Duarte and Ana have international winemaking experience and have bonded over their passion for bringing their modern winemaking approaches back to their traditional region of the Douro.
The vines they work with are over 30 years old, located on steep slopes at high elevation (ranging from 300-700m) with poor soils mostly made of granite and schist. These soils create an unique microclimate on these small plots of land by providing good drainage, preventing erosion on the steep slopes, and absorbing energy from the hot sun that it later insulates the vines with when temperatures start to decrease outside. With all of these positive factors in the vineyard, Ana and Duarte are able to create full bodied, yet beautifully elegant and balanced wines from the Douro Superior.
| Colour | White |
|---|---|
| Country | Portugal |
| Region | Douro Valley |
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