Esporao Monte Velho Rose 2021 - Limited Parcel

It is a nice and dry rose, with good fruit and refreshing acidity from an existing producer that many may already be familiar with, Esporao.

Forty-nine years ago, Esporao was born from the desire the make the finest wines in the Alentejo region. This motivation behind this family business remains the basis of everything they do today. Founded in 1973 by Jose Roquette and Joaquim Bandeira, they wanted to use what the local area had to offer to make their wines from native grape varieties. They own and manage vineyards in Alentejo, Douro and Vinho Verde. Their own vineyards cover over 637ha, but they also work with long-term contract grape growers to supply the rest of the grapes for their requirements. They strongly believe in biodiversity, so all their vineyards are surrounded by natural, wild areas, supporting the organic farming, and encouraging nature and wildlife to thrive.

The grapes for the wine come from 18-year-old vineyards planted on granitic, schist soils with open clay structures. The main grape varieties used in this wine are Aragones and Touriga Nacional, to make up the rest of the blend there are small amounts of Syrah, Trincadeira, Tinta Caiada, Arinto, Alfrocheiro and Castelao too. Once picked the grapes are de-stemmed and chilled before being pressed. The juice is then fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats.

The resulting wine has citrus notes of lemon and white fruit followed by a fresh and balanced palate. It has a firm body and a long finish, to create a well-rounded and refreshing wine. It would be perfect as an aperitif or with chicken and parmesan salad or grilled fish dishes. With a well-integrated and subtly firmer body than Provence-style roses, this makes for the perfect mid-summer rose for when the English weather isn’t at its best.