Best Vila Real Alcoholic Beverage Types
Vintage Port is a style made from the best grapes of a single year harvest. It is considered the most prestigious and the highest quality port style. Vintage is not produced every year, but only when port houses decide that the wine is of sufficient quality.
Vintages make only about 2% of all port production, and in the best years, all port houses will declare a Vintage. The decision to declare a Vintage can be made after Portugal’s Port Wine Institute had approved it. Vintages are barrel-aged for two to three years and are not filtered before they are bottled.
Tawny is a variety of fortified port that is usually oak-aged for around seven years (Reserva), but vintages may extend to ten, twenty, and even over forty years of age. These fortified red wines are praised for their complex aromatic profile as well as their rich and smooth texture.
Usually amber and often sweet, Tawny ports display an array of different aromas that typically include a nutty combination of toffee and caramel, coffee, vanilla, dates, ripe red and dark fruit, figs, or prunes. Due to its different character that depends on the age, Tawny is a perfect accompaniment to various desserts, especially those made with nuts, fruit, chocolate, or eggs.
VARIATIONS OF Tawny Port
Ruby is the most common and the freshest style of fortified port wines. Made from various red grapes, Ruby ports are usually aged for three years, typically in steel or concrete tanks, and are considered to be an approachable introduction to more complex port wines.
As the name suggests, these fresh wines usually have rich ruby color, while the flavors and aromas are light and fruity, all accompanied by subtle tannins. Ruby port can be served at room temperature, slightly chilled, or in some cases over ice. They usually pair well with cherry or chocolate-based desserts and blue cheese.
Colheita is a type of Tawny port made with single-harvest grapes. They have to be aged for at least seven years, though most producers opt for longer barrel maturation and decide to bottle it when the wine is ready and considered of sufficient quality.
During wood maturation, the wine will become smooth and develop complex aromas and flavors reminiscent of dried fruits, spices, nuts, and citrus fruits. Colheita is a style of exceptional quality that is usually reasonably priced. It is quite rare, and only around 1% of port production is designated to become Colheita.
THE BEST Colheita Fortified Wines
Justino's Madeira Wines
Colombo Madeira Colheita 1998 Sweet
Frankfurt International Trophy - Grand Gold 2018
Justino's Madeira Wines
Justino’s Madeira Verdelho Colheita 1997
Portugal Wine Trophy - Grand Gold 2022
Justino's Madeira Wines
Justinos Madeira - Malvasia Colheita
Frankfurt International Trophy - Grand Gold 2017
Justino's Madeira Wines
Justino's Madeira Sercial Colheita 1997
Frankfurt International Trophy - Grand Gold 2022
Port is a fortified wine that has its origins in the Duoro Valley. It is produced from various grape varieties, though Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesca, and Tinta Cão are considered the best for the red port, while Viozinho, Rabigato, Arinto, Cedega, Gouveio are largely used for the production of white port.
After fermentation, the wine is fortified with brandy and is usually matured in oak casks. Depending on the style, after blending, the wine can further age in the bottle or the barrel. The most common port styles include the young and fresh Ruby, the earthy Late-Bottled Vintage, and the rich and smooth Tawnies, while the Vintage ports enjoy the highest prestige.
VARIATIONS OF Port
White port is a fortified wine made just like red port—by adding brandy during fermentation—but using white grapes instead of red. The blend most commonly includes native varieties such as Viosinho, Malvasia Fina, Códega, and Rabigato, and it comes as a dry and sweet wine.
White port is mainly intended for early consumption, but oak-aged styles are also common. Most examples will have some amount of residual sugar. Their final character will depend on vinification, but they are generally lighter than red varieties. The aroma is reminiscent of citrus and stone fruit, along with nutty nuances that are usually found in golden, oak-aged styles.
Touriga Franca, also known as Touriga Francesa, is one of the most planted grape varieties in Portugal. It is used in the production of varietal wines, but it is mostly known as one of the quintessential grapes in red Douro blends and Port wines.
Although it is often cited as less prestigious than Touriga Nacional, this dark-skinned grape is able to produce dense wines with fruity and floral aromas that are reminiscent of red and dark berries and roses. The grape is native to Portugal, and though not much is known about its origin, it is believed that it is a cross between Touriga Nacional and another, unknown grape.
Late Bottled Vintage port is produced from a single year, and it is bottled after four to six years of age. Due to the slightly longer aging period, this style is more affordable than Vintage port, and it can be enjoyed immediately after it is released, though it can also be suitable for bottle aging.
Traditional styles are not filtered and tend to have more structure than brighter contemporary versions that are filtered before bottling. Although some purists argue that filtration strips away some of the essential features, this filtered LBV is the most common example.
Often dubbed as Vintage port’s little brother, Single Quinta Vintage is a type of port made from the grapes of a single harvest that come from a single estate (quinta). They are produced in the same way as Vintage port—not filtered and aged for up to three years —typically in those years when the wine is not considered of sufficient quality to be declared Vintage.
Single Quinta wines are of exceptional quality, although they typically mature earlier and have slightly less complexity than classic Vintage ports. They are usually well-balanced, intense, and smooth, with juicy flavors of ripe fruit. Single Quinta wines have excellent aging potential, and though they are typically ready to drink after ten years, some examples can benefit from longer aging.
Best Vila Real Alcoholic Beverage Producers
AWARDS
Decanter World Wine Awards - Best in Show
2018
Vivino - 4.6
BEST Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo Wines
AWARDS
Concours Mondial de Bruxelles - Grande Médaille d'or
2024, 2023
BEST Colinas do Douro Soc. Agricola Wines
AWARDS
Frankfurt International Trophy - Grand Gold
2024
BEST Casa Dos Lagares - Soc. Agr. Com., Lda Wines
AWARDS
IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Gold
2024, 2023, 2020
BEST Quinta do Pégo Wines
AWARDS
Decanter World Wine Awards - Platinum
2021
BEST José Viseu Carvalho & Filhos Wines
Quinta de la Rosa is a family-owned winery located in the Cima Corgo region of the Douro Valley in northern Portugal, near the town of Pinhão. Established in 1906, the winery is renowned for producing high-quality wines and ports. Quinta de la Rosa offers a diverse range of wines, including red, white, and rosé wines, as well as various styles of port.
Their winemaking philosophy focuses on creating well-defined wines without excessive extraction, tannins, or oak usage, resulting in rich and full-bodied wines that are fresh and vibrant at the same time.
AWARDS
James Suckling - 94 points
2023
Wine Spectator - 95
2023
BEST Quinta de la Rosa Wines
Best Vila Real Alcoholic Beverages
AWARDS
Decanter World Wine Awards - Best in Show
2018
AWARDS
Vivino - 4.6
AWARDS
Vivino - 4.7
AWARDS
Vivino - 4.6
AWARDS
Concours Mondial de Bruxelles - Grande Médaille d'or
2023
AWARDS
Concours Mondial de Bruxelles - Grande Médaille d'or
2024
AWARDS
Frankfurt International Trophy - Grand Gold
2024
AWARDS
USA Wine Ratings - Gold
2021
AWARDS
Decanter World Wine Awards - Platinum
2021
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