Red wine Vale Barqueiros Selected Harvest

The red wine from Alentejo Selected Harvest.

This it’s one premium red wine from the Alentejo region in Portugal.

At first look we have one fantastic red garnet color. Aroma of berries, notes of cigar and a nice touch of French oak barrels where it aged.

In the mouth it shows a marked balance and freshness based on an elegant structure and a long, lingering finish.

We recommend that this red wine be consumed at a temperature between 16° to 17°C.

Some food ideas:
Beef Wellington, Malay lamb korma, Lentils with smoked ham hock, Oxtail stew, Wood-fired leg of lamb, Chilean beef casserole, Rosemary and lemon pork stew, Citrus-rubbed veal chops and mango salsa, Traditional Cornish pasty, etc.

ABV: 14.5% Vol.

Grapes Varieties: Syrah, Aragonez, Trincadeira and Cabernet Sauvignon

Harvest in September with 100% handpicked grapes (manual harvest).

Vinification:
Fermentation: Stainless steel tanks with controlled temperature
Maturation: 9 months in French oak barrels

The Grapes

SYRAH

Of all the non-Portuguese varieties to be grown here, Syrah has best adapted to the rigours of the Alentejo climate, adjusting easily to the searing summer heat with its interminable hours of sunshine and extreme temperatures.

Grown in warm, poor Alentejo soil, Syrah wines come close to those from the New World.
Big robust and full-bodied wines with lots of fruit, some pepper, usually spicy, sometimes powerful and alcoholic.

Wines from early-ripening grapes are accessible when young, smooth and inviting with good cellaring potential.

Varietal Syrah wines are made but they are few in number, usually being used in small amounts in many of the Alentejo's most emblematic wines.

ARAGONEZ

This is an Iberian grape variety par excellence, one of the few to be grown and esteemed in both of the Peninsula's countries. Its Spanish descent is unequivocal, with more than one of the nation's provinces laying claim to paternity.  It is called Tempranillo in Rioja - the region most likely to be its birthplace, but Cencibel in La Mancha, Ull de Llebre in Catalonia, Tinta de Toro in Toro, Tinta del Pais and Tinto Fino in Ribera del Duero and Tinta de Madrid in vineyards around the Spanish capital.

In Portugal, Aragonez goes by other equally well-known names: Tinta Roriz in Dão and Douro and Abundante in Lisbon.

Few grape varieties can have so eloquent and straightforward a designation as Aragonez.

In Rioja, it earned the nickname Tempranillo from the Spanish temprana, meaning to ripen early, which of course it does, well before the autumn showers of September and avoiding the first rainfalls of the equinox.

In Lisbon, it takes the name Abundante because of its high yields and vigorous growth. Aragonez has a short growth cycle, leafing late which protects it from spring frosts.

A reliable producer not only in good years, but also in the worst when its yields will be lower, such as in hot and dry climates and in sandy or limestone soils. Such conditions produce lively yet deep wines with a happy combination of elegance and strength, almond fruit and spice.

As Aragonez has a tendency to low acidity, it appreciates the company of other Alentejano varieties, being regularly blended with Trincadeira and Alicante Bouschet.

TRINCADEIRA

Trincadeira goes under several guises throughout the country, such as Trincadeira Preta, Tinta Amarela, Espadeiro, Crato Preto, Preto Martinho, Mortágua and Rabo de Ovelha Tinto. It is a temperamental variety, with great virtues and bad faults, particularly suited to hotter regions. It has vigorous growth, requiring vigilance and constant curbing to control yields.

These are generally high, although irregular and unpredictable. The bunches of grapes are very compact and highly susceptible to rot, affirming Trincadeira's preference for poor soil and hot, dry weather. It responds almost uncontrollably to the least amount of humidity during maturation, causing sanitary problems that are hard to resolve.

Consequently Trincadeira is one of the varieties best suited to the dry, dog days of the Alentejo. It gives body to aromatic, fruity wines with a floral tendency leaning towards vegetal when there has not been enough maturation. One of its distinctive features is high natural acidity, a desirable and necessary feature for the hot Alentejo lands.

Trincadeira has a traditional association with Aragonez, forming one of the most complementary partnerships in Alentejo blended wines. It may be a difficult and temperamental grape variety, but is indispensable in the Alentejo nonetheless.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most international of all French grape varieties, being widely grown across all five continents. It has found a special niche and style in the Alentejo, one of the few Portuguese winegrowing regions where it can ripen to perfection.

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of those varieties that can be termed "enriching"; deeply colored and thick-skinned, it can spice up blends, imbuing body and consistency to well-composed, perfumed, fruity and spicy wines.

It is rarely bottled as a varietal wine in the Alentejo, but is present in small amounts to give structure in many regional Alentejo wines.

Appreciated for its versatility, resistance and correctness it yields wines of immense longevity that age with elegance and security.

Awards:
“2016 Best Buy” in the portuguese wine magazine “Revista de Vinhos”
Gold Medal in CWSA (China Wine & Spirits Awards) 2016
Commended Medal in International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2015 in UK
17/20 points in “Paixão pelo Vinho” magazine
Silver Medal in Mundus Vini 2013 in Germany
Silver Medal in Mundus Vini 2012 in Germany
Bronze Medal in Decanter 2012 (World Wine Awards) in UK
1st place Trophy in Nectar diVino 2011 on white wines class
Silver Medal in Wine Master Challenge 2009 in Estoril
77.66 points in Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2010
82 points in Wine Spectator

We export our wines worldwide. For more information about us and our wines, please contact us or visit our website.

Cheers.

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