Intense and striking aroma that opens wide with plenty of body and elegance, and a remarkable harmony between Alvarinho’s fruity personality and the complexity that the oak brings.
The grapes are harvested by hand. After pressing, the must is clarified and then fermented at controlled temperatures. Fermentation and aging take place in French oak barrels. Each vintage, only 25% of the casks are new. The rest are used from previous years, some of which are more than 20 years old. Several casks were even used in the first trials in 1995. Reserva is aged in cask for 12 months. The wine remains in contact with lees during aging and bâtonnage is performed to improve texture and complexity. This allows Alvarinho’s aromatic identity to be preserved, while adding a new dimension to the texture in the mouth.
Soalheiros Reserva began as an experiment in 1995, when Soalheiro was one of the first producers to explore a possible marriage between the Alvarinho grape and French oak. After many experiments, in 2006 the Portuguese developed the Reserva you see here. A wine that shows Alvarinho in its pure essence, as the French oak barrels do not mask the personality of the grape variety. The nuances of the barrel are well integrated, complimenting the aroma and taste of Alvarinho, adding a new dimension of structure and complexity.
The Alvarinho grapes for Soalheiro Reserva come from vineyards in the valley where they are perfectly exposed to the sun and warmer temperatures. This gives the wine fewer aromatic components, but more tannins and structure. This profile of the Alvarinho grape is perfect for barrel fermentation where the complexity associated with aging is more important than aromatic intensity. The microclimate in this region is very special, with mountains protecting the grapes from Atlantic influences.
About Soalheiro
Quinta de Soalheiro is located in Melgaco in northern Portugal, right up to the border with Spain, protected from wind and weather by the mountains in the area. Here, Soalheiro was the first producer to use the special Portuguese white wine grape, Alvarinho. The mountainous region ensures an optimal combination of life-giving rain and the right temperatures, while the grapes get plenty of sunlight. Therefore, the grapes thrive and deliver lively and elegant wines, which have become the hallmark of the region and of the winery itself. It was here in the area that João António Cerdeira planted the first Alvarinho vines in 1974. Today, Quinta de Soalheiro is a family-run winery, which produces fantastic wines under current manager Maria Palmira Cerdeira and her children, Maria João Cerdeira and António Luís Cerdeira, the house Winemaker. The name ‘Soalheiro’ very aptly means “a sunny place” and is a reference to the Portuguese climate that the winery’s vines benefit from. The protection of the mountains and a granite-containing soil ensure optimal conditions. The grapes are harvested in small boxes to avoid damage, and brought quickly to the winery. Here they lie cool for 48 hours before being pressed. The Alvarinho grape is actually an older type of grape that has shown its worth over many years. Here it is the basis for many wines throughout the Vinho Verde region. The grape has a very characteristic floral and fruity profile with notes of linden, peach, grape and apple and is perfect in a classic, fresh Vinho Verde. In fact, the grape’s qualities are so sought after that it is also exported to more southern climes in Portugal, where they are combined with local grapes.
