Alentejo Tinto “Trinca Bolotas” 2021 – Herdade do Peso

The grapes to produce the  Alentejo Tinto “Trinca Bolotas” Herdade do Peso, were destemmed, gently crushed and underwent a cold soak on the skins for three to four days prior to fermentation to extract aromatics and colour. Fermentation then took place at a controlled temperature of 26ºC with gentle pumping over to preserve the fruit flavours and extract smooth tannins. 30% of the wine was aged in used French oak barrels for six months while the remainder was kept in stainless-steel tanks.The wine was lightly fined and filtered prior to bottling.

Despite its southerly location, Vidígueira is one of the cooler Alentejo sub-regions and benefits from cool Atlantic air funnelled inland from the coast by a gap in the surrounding mountains. The vineyards are planted on rolling hills and 12 different soil types have been identified with a predominance of limestone, which controls vine vigour and lends elegance to the wines. Precision viticulture is carried out on the estate and each grape variety has been matched to its ideal plot. All of the Herdade do Peso vineyards are sustainably farmed and the on-site reservoir provides much-needed water to irrigate the vineyards during the warm Alentejo summers.

Herdade do Peso is situated in the southerly Alentejo sub-region of Vidígueira and was purchased by the Guedes family in 1996. The estate covers a total of 457 hectares, with 120 hectares of sustainably farmed vineyard, olive trees over 1,000 years old and an on-site reservoir. The talented Luís Cabral de Almeida is at the winemaking helm. He believes that “the oenologists primary role is to interpret nature” and makes expressive and generous wines that reflect the unique sense of place of this spectacular estate.