Portuguese Grape Varieties

It is characterized by an intense color, aromas of ripe plums and some forest fruits. Whenever it ages in wood, it shows notes of sweet chocolate and spicy perceptions. In the mouth, it appears with a silky structure, soft and long tannins, which make its persistence very pleasant.

Paulo Laureano uses Aragonez to contribute to this sweet and attractive aromatic component that increases the complexity of the wines and confers elegance to them.

This is a grape variety with a distinctly regional character, which exists mainly in the areas of Vila Alva and Vila de Frades in the Vidigueira region. Tinta Grossa wines exhibit an exotic aroma of black fruits, good acidity, and solid tannins. Practically abandoned in recent years, it reinforces our philosophy of investing in Portuguese grape varieties and enriches our portfolio with its exoticism, quality and rarity.

It decisively contributes to the soul of Alentejo wines. It is a grape variety with a strong personality that requires special care in the vineyards to counteract its vigor and sensitivity to rot. It produces wines of intense and deep color, with aromas of ripe red peppers, wild fruits, and spices. When wood is present, the notes of spice are accentuated, and perceptions of bitter chocolate and fresh coffee usually emerge. We seek in this grape variety its levels of acidity, solid tannins, and elegant aroma to complexify wines of high standards of quality and longevity.

It is certainly the most well-known of Portuguese red grape varieties, although not typical of the Alentejo, it has easily established itself here in recent years. It exhibits aromas of violets, bergamots, and Earl Gray tea. It is elegant, striking, and of great personality.

Alicante Bouschet has found in the Alentejo a set of soil and climate conditions that allow it to have a unique oenological profile, which quickly made it one of the most important grape varieties in the region and today makes it fundamentally considered an Alentejo grape variety. It is a teinturier grape, with color in both the skin and pulp, which gives its wines a deep and intense color, aromas reminiscent of mint notes, some eucalyptus, black olives, and mint. In the mouth, they show a huge concentration of tannins, in a fresh ensemble of imposing structure and enormous longevity.

With adequate concentration, Alicante Bouschet is valuable for high-quality wines.

Com uma concentração adequada, o Alicante Bouschet é valioso para os vinhos de grande qualidade.

It is a grape variety of elegance; the red wines it produces are rich in color, with a complex aroma, full of fruit and with enormous liveliness, thanks to an excellent composition of acids and firm, solid tannins.

What is sought in this grape variety is the elegance it brings to the wines where it is present, its freshness, and the most exotic aromas.

An indigenous grape variety from the Vidigueira region, Antão Vaz is certainly one of the best, if not the best white grape variety in the Alentejo. With good viticultural behavior, Antão Vaz produces wines with a citrine color and aromas reminiscent of tropical fruits, which in Vidigueira evoke mango, passion fruit, and tangerine peel. With controlled yields, it shows a good balance of acidity, and its structure is always striking and persistent.

Arinto contributes with a very pronounced mineral note in the aroma of wines, but in Alentejo its major contribution lies in the acidity it adds to the blends it participates in, contributing to their balance.

It has a slightly earlier harvest to allow grapes with higher acidity levels, which in turn will provide wines with a citrine color, numerous greenish hues, a fine and attractive aroma of citrus fruits, with notes of minerality.

It is a grape variety that shows its best when associated with wines intended for earlier consumption. When aiming to increase its longevity, other varieties such as Arinto or Antão Vaz are necessary.

It arrived in Portugal in the 15th century and was initially planted on the island of Madeira, later being taken to the Azores. It has striking mineral and saline aromas, showing surprising balance and elegance in the mouth, and enormous persistence. Its Atlantic characteristic distinguishes it very clearly.

It’s a blending grape variety known for the differentiation it brings to blends with its elegant floral notes. It requires tight viticultural control to allow for harvest at the right moment. It acts as the ‘salt and pepper’ of the blends where it’s involved.