Quinta do Ameal

Name: 2021 Vinho Verde, Loureiro
SKU: QAL21
Price: 21.00 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

Photography and writing by Ted Vance.

José Roquette, the owner of Esporão, Portugal’s largest organic wine company, purchased Quinta do Ameal in 2019 from the recently retired Pedro Araujo. Located in the heart of the Lima Valley, within Vinho Verde DOC, the most northwesterly zone which borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west and separated from Spain by the Minho River to the north, these 14 organically farmed hectares of the white grape, Loureiro, are grown in the vineyard’s igneous granite bedrock and sandy topsoil. The wines are hand-harvested, whole cluster pressed, naturally fermented over 12-15 days at low temperatures (10-15 C), and aged sur-lie in steel for the classic Loureiro and old French oak for the Escolha bottling.

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Quinta do Ameal - 2021 Vinho Verde, Loureiro

Price: $21.00

Size: 750ml

Availability:

Out of stock

Type of Wine: White

Style: High acid, Mineral

When I was last in Portugal, I drank Quinta do Ameal’s wines with every type of food, from slow-roasted suckling pig, braised and BBQ’d octopus, and Portuguese sea bass that was caught about 15 miles from where this wine is made. Those three dishes were the very best examples of those meats that I have ever had in my life.

Terroir: The recipe here is very simple. Evening ocean breezes keep this area mild in the evening while keeping the daytime temperatures modest. The soil is made purely of granite and therefore imparts gentleness alongside of the intense acidity. The vineyards are organically farmed since the year 2000.

SKU: QAL21 Category: Quinta do Ameal Tags: Good Acidity, Dry Click to see what states we ship to

The Wine

Inside the bottle: This little organic gem is raised only in stainless steel. It is refreshingly acidic with a surprising level of minerality, fresh citrus notes, salt and extremely subtle sweet grass notes. It is very charming and with a very low alcohol content (11%) so that you can drink many of them in one sitting! Indeed, great for a summer day with or without food, but with food, it is just perfect. As I went from restaurant to restaurant between Lisbon and Porto, I asked all of them about Quinta do Ameal. They all said without hesitation that it was the best producer in Vihno Verde. I believe it.

When I was last in Portugal, I drank Quinta do Ameal's wines with every type of food, from slow-roasted suckling pig, braised and BBQ'd octopus, and Portuguese sea bass that was caught about 15 miles from where this wine is made. Those three dishes were the very best examples of those meats that I have ever had in my life.

Terroir: The recipe here is very simple. Evening ocean breezes keep this area mild in the evening while keeping the daytime temperatures modest. The soil is made purely of granite and therefore imparts gentleness alongside of the intense acidity. The vineyards are organically farmed since the year 2000.