Cazas Novas
Vinho Verde DOC | Minho
Just when you thought you knew Vinho Verde, we introduce you to the rarest grape in the DOC: Avesso. Cazas Novas was first bottled in 2008, but the estate has family roots going back seven generations. In Santa Marinha do Zêzere, Baião, the southeast corner of Vinho Verde that overlooks the Douro Valley, the Cunha Coutinho family fell in love with the grape whose name suggests an aversion towards something. Avesso is loyal only to its native terroir and therefore created its own exclusivity.
Aneto Wines
Douro Valley DOC | Castedo do Duoro, Alijó
Aneto is a plant, according to the Portuguese, 'expresses love' so it was only natural for the family to name their estate Aneto Wines. Their love and passion for the Douro Valley easily comes through in their bottles of wine. The indigenous white grapes of Gouveio, Rabigato, and Víosinho (to name just a few) are selectively planted on a mixture of granite and shale soils while the reds are appropriately planted on schist soils with outcrops of clay. Seamlessly integrating a new, modern wing to the existing old stone cellar makes for a great visit.
Raríssimo by Osvaldo Amado
Bairrada DOC | Dão DOC
Heralded as the most awarded winemaker in Portugal, Osvaldo Amado is the owner and winemaker of Raríssimo wines. Amado wanted his wines, from both Bairraida and the Dão, to convey what nature conveys: immediate gratification as well as the test of patience. Raríssimo young wines are at least 5 years old, with an average release year of 2010. From Espumante to 20+ year old reds from the Dão, you are in for a rare experience.
Quinta Da Alameda
Dão DOC | Santar
Since 2012, when Quinta da Alameda was acquired by Luís Abrantes and his family, the aim has been to restore the winery to its former glory and elevate the status of the farming and production to that of the great, classic Dão wines. The landscape, with a very unique genius loci, or spirit of place, focuses on biodiversity and the use of sustainable practices that safeguard the preservation and nature of ecosystems. What marks Quinta da Alameda is its ‘terroir’ which produces classic and elegant wines that can only be described as genuine and pure Dão.
Herdade Grande
Alentejo DOC | Vidigueira
Since 1920 the Lança family has been making wine in Vidiguera, the prime region within the DOC of Alentejo. It is now the third and fourth generations who are running the estate and continuing on the ancestral 'Talha' method of winemaking and aging, in clay pots as the Romans did long, long ago. Indigenous varietals, Mediterranean climate, predominantly schist soils, and sustainable viticulture are keys to the Lança family's elegant wines and continued longevity.
Herdade Grande
Grande Reserva Tinto
92 Points | Wine Enthusiast | 2019"This limited-production wine with its powerful structure and dark-coffee flavors is just setting out. It is so dense with massive tannins and equally concentrated black fruits. With its density, it has a way to go. Drink from 2025. "
