“Vinha Grande” Douro Rosé 2022 – Casa Ferreirinha
£16.35
A delicate pale pink colour. On the nose precise red fruit aromas of strawberry and cherry are coupled with hints of violet – a signature aroma of Touriga Nacional. A refreshing acidity on the palate carries the bright flavours onto the long, fresh finish.
The grapes to produce the “Vinha Grande” Douro Rosé Casa Ferreirinha were hand harvested into small 20kg boxes. A very gently pressed and a short cold maceration on the skins took place prior to fermentation to extract aromatics and a delicate pale pink colour. The skins were then separated from the must and fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks at controlled temperatures to preserve the bright fruit flavours of the Touriga Nacional. The wine was kept in stainless steel before the final blend was assembled then clarified and cold stabilised before bottling.
The Touriga Nacional is sourced from the Quinta do Sairrão estate, which sits at 600m above sea level in the Cima Corgo region. The steep vineyards here are on schist soils with vines planted in both “vinha ao alto” vertical rows and “patamar” terraces. Grapes grown at this altitude benefit from a wide diurnal temperature range, with hot days counteracted by cool nights and the grapes undergo an ideal slow ripening process, accumulating great flavour intensity whilst retaining acidity.
The origins of Casa Ferreirinha date back to 1952 and the production of the first ever vintage of Barca-Velha. Fernando Nicolau de Almeida kick started the quality revolution in Douro still wines and Casa Ferreirinha was the first producer in the region dedicated entirely to producing still table wine, rather than Port. Named after the legendary Porto matriarch Dona Antónia Ferreira, one of the formidable widows of the world of wine, Casa Ferreirinha, pays homage to the memory of this visionary woman. Purchased by Sogrape in 1987, Casa Ferreirinha has 520 hectares of vineyard in all of the three Douro sub-regions: Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo and Douro Superior. The staggeringly beautiful Quinta da Leda is Casa Ferreirinha’s flagship estate, located close to the border with Spain in the far east of the Douro Superior, it is the source of grapes for many of the top wines. The great Luís Sottomayor has been head winemaker since 1989 and restrains the Douro’s natural exuberance to produce wines that have a vibrant freshness allied to a wonderful texture and depth.
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