“Planalto” Reserva Douro Branco 2023 – Casa Ferreirinha

To produce the “Planalto” Reserva Douro Branco Casa Ferreirinha, each grape variety in the blend was vinified separately. Upon arrival at the Casa Ferreirinha winery in Vila Real, the grapes were destemmed, gently crushed and pressed and the must was clarified by static decanting at low temperatures. This was followed by a cool fermentation at controlled temperatures between 16-18°C to retain the aromatics and freshness of the grapes. After fermentation, the wines were kept in stainless-steel tanks for around six months before the final blend was assembled and bottled.

The grapes for this white blend comes from high-altitude vineyard sites in the Douro Valley. The soil in the Douro Valley is schist: a slate-like metamorphic rock that fractures vertically – allowing vine roots to dig deep to access water and nutrients to sustain them through the hot Douro summers. The poor quality of the soil forces the vines to produce low yields of grapes with great concentration of flavour. The Douro is the largest mountainous vineyard area on earth. Due to the steep slopes here, most vineyard operations and harvesting are carried out by hand.

The origins of Casa Ferreirinha date back to 1952 and the production of the first ever vintage of Barca-Velha. Fernando Nicolau de Almeida kick started the quality revolution in Douro still wines and Casa Ferreirinha was the first producer in the region dedicated entirely to producing still table wine, rather than Port. Named after the legendary Porto matriarch Dona Antónia Ferreira, one of the formidable widows of the world of wine, Casa Ferreirinha, pays homage to the memory of this visionary woman. Purchased by Sogrape in 1987, Casa Ferreirinha has 520 hectares of vineyard in all of the three Douro sub-regions: Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo and Douro Superior. The staggeringly beautiful Quinta da Leda is Casa Ferreirinha’s flagship estate, located close to the border with Spain in the far east of the Douro Superior, it is the source of grapes for many of the top wines. The great Luís Sottomayor has been head winemaker since 1989 and restrains the Douro’s natural exuberance to produce wines that have a vibrant freshness allied to a wonderful texture and depth.