Intense hay yellow in the glass with green hues. As it is an unfiltered wine, it is cloudy, but can be cleared by decanting. The wine has a rustic and complex taste, while being lively and fresh. The finish is punctuated by light green notes, but silky and smooth.
Soalheiro Terramatter Alvarinho Bio is a unique and original wine that stands out from other wines in the Soalheiro family. It represents a return to the natural origins of wine and a look into the future. Terramatter is produced with the least possible intervention in both vineyards and vinification, which makes it an authentic reflection of Soalheiro’s terroir. It is intense in colour, expressive and complex and has a distinct personality and distinctive profile.
The Alvarinho grapes from which this wine is made are grown in a unique microclimate in the Monção and Melgaço region, the northernmost point in Portugal, protected by mountains that create optimal conditions for the ripening of the grapes. Soalheiro Terramatter is produced from grapes from the Soalheiro vineyards, using practices that support biodiversity and the viticultural ecosystem. The vineyards are certified organic and promote environmental sustainability.
Intense hay yellow in the glass with green hues. As it is an unfiltered wine, it is cloudy, but can be cleared by decanting. The wine has a rustic and complex taste, while being lively and fresh. The finish is punctuated by light green notes, but silky and smooth. By shaking the bottle gently before serving, the sediment is incorporated, the lees, sim gives the wine even more structure.
We recommend shaking the bottle carefully before enjoying it to mix the fine lees from the bottom, which gives a completely different taste experience.
With its beautiful structure and fine acidity, Soalheiro Terramatter goes well with food. It is suitable to accompany fatty fish, shellfish, salted meat, lamb, turkey, baked root vegetables and dishes with cream sauce or mushrooms. This wine will also go perfectly with Asian and Mediterranean dishes.
After hand-picking, the Alvarinho grapes go through three different production processes. The results are then mixed to create Soalheiro Terramatter. Part of the blend is fermented in stainless steel tanks, another part undergoes both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in traditional chestnut barrels from the Minho region, and the third part is fermented in concrete eggs, where it undergoes natural bâtonnage. After mixing the three parts, the final wine is bottled without filtration.
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.
