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Quinta Do Ameal Loureiro Vinho Verde White 2019 (750ml)
Price: $16.99
Sale Price: $12.95
It has an excellent body, a smooth, yet slightly crisp taste, a fruity palate and...
| Producer | Quinta Do Ameal Loureiro Vinho Verde White |
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| Country | Portugal |
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| Region | Vinho Verde |
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| Subregion | Sub-region of Lima |
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| Varietal | Loureiro |
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| Vintage | 2019 |
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| Sku | 26541 |
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| Size | 750ml |
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Quinta Do Ameal Loureiro Vinho Verde White 2019
Clear and light colored. The wine possesses a good combination and balance of floral and fruity aromas, typical of well-ripened grapes from the Loureiro variety. It has an excellent body, a smooth, yet slightly crisp taste, a fruity palate and a persistent length.
Very aromatic, floral, fruity fantastic minerality and a very good freshness. No oak is use on this wine.
Do not taste it very cold, around 10ºCelsius will be good.
Loureiro
Loureiro is a light-skinned variety grown mainly in the north of Portugal and used to make the popular white Vinho Verde wines of the Minho region. It's also grown in smaller amounts in Galicia, just across the Spanish border to the north. Here it is called Loureira, and is used in the white wines of Rias Baixas, often blended with the district's pre-eminent grape variety, Albariño, of which it is thought to be a relative.
The name Loureiro means "laurel", and refers to the distinctive aroma of the berries. Genetic studies suggest this is an old grape variety, and documentary references can be found dating back to the late 18th Century. Until the 1960s, it was mainly grown in one location, the Vale do Lima in the northern coastal part of the Minho region. Its relationship to the near-extinct red grape Loureiro Tinto is not yet known.
Loureiro wines also have aromas of orange and acacia blossom, have excellent acidity and are low in alcohol. Varietal Loureiro wines are becoming more popular, but historically, Vinho Verde wines have also contained the more subtle grape varieties Trajadura and Pederna (the Minho name for Arinto). These simple, refreshing wines are prone to premature oxidation and are increasingly bottled with a hint of carbon dioxide to ensure optimum quality and to add an effervescent spritz.
Production Philosophy
It all began with an idea, at the time rather absurd, to produce great white wines from the Loureiro grape variety. This was our principal objective. We wanted to concentrate on the production of new and different wines starting with this fabulous varietal. The specialization and concentration on Loureiro with new ideas and nuances had begun at Quinta do Ameal….
It is important to underline that when we began, this grape variety had been completely forgotten in the production of niche wines and was used principally in wines produced in bulk quantities. However at Quinta do Ameal, the dream was to produce great white wines.
We also recall that at the beginning of our project we were told by many that this grape variety was not very good and that the wines would not last more than 6 months. It is therefore with extreme satisfaction and pleasure that it is evident today that the Quinta do Ameal wines have an excellent aging potential. We constantly taste and give tastings of old vintages some more than 14 years old and the wines are sensational! As from the 4th to 5th year the wines begin to develop very similar aromatic characteristics with some wines with the same age such as Rieslings from Alsace or Semillons from the Australian Hunter Valley.
The attention of our work is focused on everything that involves the production of quality wines but principally in all the details at the various phases of production. In the vineyard pruning is rigorous and numerous steps are carried out while the vines are still young. When necessary bunches are thinned out limiting the yield to approximately 5 tons a hectare (the normal average yield for Loureiro is 15 tons per hectare). The strict selection of grapes is fundamental in the making of good attractive and complex white wine. The vintage is carried out manually in 22 kilo boxes.
Above all what really drives our wine production business is the constant search for perfection, for excellence and for personalisation of our wines. The numbers are obviously important but this is not what we really like doing – for us this is not only a business but definitely a way of life.
Every job, whatever it is, is always given double attention and is carried out with the greatest commitment and enthusiasm while always learning something that allows us to do better the next time. We try to ensure an improvement in quality with each small step (at times large). To invent and create gives us real pleasure!
For us this type of wine production is not an industrial process, but more like a “gourmet” restaurant. Likewise we are the chefs of a truly "cuisine d'auteur" working with the best ingredients – the grapes grown on our vines.
We believe that only small wine producers have the possibility to oversee all the details and also play a large part personally in achieving excellence in an industry that only deals in large volumes.
In 2005 we took an enormous step for the quality of Ameal wines and made the commitment to produce our grapes organically. It was a logical step for an ecological and quality wine. We do not use herbicides, synthetic pesticides nor chemical fertilizers and therefore give special attention to soil treatments. Even more importantly we adopt a pro-active management style and understanding of the ecosystem to achieve the best natural balance for our vineyard. The idea is to encourage biodiversity permitting and controlling the growth of specific “natural” weeds. These weeds provide the soil with rich minerals, which nourish the vines.
To finish off the most important thing is that Quinta do Ameal is a unique and marvelous place, out of the ordinary in its production of quality grapes. Only this way are we able to create fantastic wines that strive to achieve excellence. Places such as these are difficult to find but we have been lucky and seem to have find one!
Many things can be said and told but I prefer to invite you to drink a glass of Ameal, or even better pay us a visit and see for yourself in loco what we are doing and building.
Quinta Do Ameal Loureiro Vinho Verde White Description
Quinta do Ameal
Quinta do Ameal is a small ancient property (1710) of rare natural beauty. Here are created and produced excellent white wines made from a Portuguese grape variety called Loureiro. This reaches its greatest aromatic and tasty expression at this incredible Lima Valley region where we are located.
Wines produced exclusively from grapes grown organically on our own state, are based on the philosophy of our production and that translates into focus more attention and energy on the vine, thereby producing grapes of high quality and excellence for which, in this way, we achieve unique wines of "terroir", with great personality and character. For us, a great wine should always express a sense of place…
Since the beginning of the project, the ever-present spirit, was the creation and specialization in new and different wines made with this noble grape, and today we can clearly say that the Ameal bucked the Loureiro on a map of top wines production in Portugal, because our wines, are regularly considered by the most respected national and foreign critics, among the best white wines in the country.
Exported to more than 15 countries, Ameal is on many of the best and most demanding restaurants wine lists in the world, as well as some of the most prestigious shops. In 2014, Quinta do Ameal open his brand new Wine & Tourism Terroir project with the same philosophy of quality loyalty and diferenciation.
Pedro Araujo
