Vinification:
The grapes are harvested by hand from 40+ year old vines. The wine is fermented mostly in stainless steel, with 15% fermented in old oak barrels for added richness. “The philosophy is to have more lees contact through bâtonnage. This gives structure to the wine and a different character from most Vinhos Verdes”, explains our winemaker. The wine ages for 6 months before bottling.
Analytical Notes:
Alcohol Content: 13 %
Residual Sugar: Dry
Total Acidity: 6.9 g/L
pH: 3.2
Terroir:
The first vines of Soalheiro are located next to the winery, in the finest sites around the village of Alvaredo – 4 km west of Melgaço and 18 km east of Monção. This area receives a lot of sunlight and its nickname, meaning ‘sunny’ in Portuguese, inspired the naming of the winery in 1982. This valley is bordered on the North and South by mountains and lies far enough inland to escape the marked Atlantic influence, creating a particular microclimate. Here, the perfect amount of rainfall and sunshine provide optimal conditions for the ripening of Alvarinho.
Climate:
The microclimate that infuences the production of Alvarinho grapes is very particular. Melgaço region, the northern point of Portugal, is protected by a range of mountains that create the perfect conditions of rainfall, temperature and number of hours of sunshine needed to the better ripeness of the Alvarinho grapes. The brand name – Soalheiro – arises from the excellent sun exposure of the vineyards bearing the same name – a sunny place.