More recently, Carlos has released wines under the World WIld Wines brand. These are home-grown wines, from the Heartland of the Dao region, close to Carlos’ home of Nelas. All are made from old, fieldblend vineyards, and hand-crafted into elegant, precise wines.
Spicy dishes, pepper steak, red meats, game. Vegetarian suggestions: dishes with tubers (turnips, sweet potatoes, beets) and legumes (chickpeas, beans, peas), dishes with cheese.
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Carlos Raposo has now returned to his home region of Dao to craft his own, very special wines. Taking everything he has learnt from the top producers he has worked with in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Napa, Heathcote, Ribera Del Duero, and of course the Douro, he is now applying everything to the old-vine treasures he has returned. -
In the middle of the Spanish plateau "Meseta de Ocana" not far from Toledo, three friends founded their own winery in 1999: Margarita Madrigal, Alexandra Schmedes and Gonzalo Rodriguez.The revival of regional traditions became the basis of their way of working, which is characterized by the ecological cultivation of 35 hectares of native grape varieties and the extremely continental climate. Together with Alexandra, the first Spanish red wine, Cuvée Rouge No.2, was developed. This velvety, grippy taste makes it a must-drink on a barbecue evening, with risotto and pasta. The perfect non-alcoholic red wine for all those who love it wild and unbridled. Bring your Spain vacation home! -
The huge passion of Dirk Niepoort for Baga variety and the fantastic terroir of the Bairrada region led him to look for small parcels of Baga in very old vines, scattered throughout the Cantanhede region, over the past three years. These wines were light in color and alcoholic content, elegant and fine, soon after bottling, but with a huge ageing potential.With the acquisition of the Quinta de Baixo in 2012, it became possible to recreate the Lagar de Baixo brand, moving towards a classically-styled wine which highlights the nobility of Baga grown in Bairrada. The red Lagar de Baixo is the result of a combination of very old vines and younger vines: complex, serious, but with some youth and grip. The 2020 Lagar de Baixo is our most classic wine from Quinta de Baixo and the wine that best reflects the Bairrada terroir. It is fermented in lagares and aged in used barrels. Food Suggestion: Venison dishes (partridge, wild boar), pork and bean stew, baked cod. Vegetarian suggestions: dishes with legumes (red kidney beans, lentils). -
Johannes Leitz continues to innovate! In doing so, he recently partnered with a company to produce two alcohol-free rieslings. Germans have been producing non-alcoholic wines for over 70 years and that history has led to inventions to improve quality.Leitz’s hometown of Rüdesheim is the historic birthplace of the famous distillery Asbach Uralt. After the war, a fellow vigneron named Carl Jung began a distillery. Ultimately, Jung could not compete with the local brandy, but he developed a vacuum distillation system which enabled him to lower the temperature at which alcohol could boil off (because the boiling point decreases as atmospheric pressure decreases). Innovations in vacuum distillation have improved in recent years, and Leitz found a producer in Rheinhessen who recently patented a new, completely closed system that allows wine alcohol to boil at 28°C, preserving “wine-like” aromas and characteristics. As we all know, like fat, alcohol is a transporter of flavor, and without it, there needs to be something else to carry those flavors. 35 grams/L does the work for this riesling, though the sugar is nearly eaten up. Pairs well with gratinated crostini, cauliflower and goat’s cheese & butter, as well as with an Asian chicken casserole. -
The Bodega or Cava Maria Casanovas is located in the heart of the Penedès, in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, the centre of Cava production. It is owned by the Casanovas family and managed by three children of Maria Casanovas.Jordi and Jacint are responsible for the vineyards and the cellar, Rosa for administration and marketing. Maria Casanovas' parents were already grape growers and sold their produce to the large cava wineries. Cava has been produced under their own name since 1984. 13 hectares are owned and planted with the local grape varieties Xarel-lo, Parellada and Macabeo (Viura) as well as the international varieties Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Maria Casanovas was one of the pioneers who introduced Pinot Noir to Penedès. Fossils can be found occasionally in the calcareous, gravelly clay soils. Food pairing suggestion: Apéro pastries, Tagliatelle al tartufo, Vegetable pie, Salad with vegetables, pulses, pasta -
Sogrape Vinhos was founded in 1942 by Fernando van Zeller Guedes, with the ambition of making Portuguese wines known to the world and a long-term vision based on the quality of the wines to be marketed, the importance of the novelty of the brands, and the presentation of its wines.Today, led by the third generation of the founding family, Sogrape Vinhos is increasingly faithful to the goal it has had since it was founded: to be a family-owned company with an international vocation, focused on the production of quality wines, on innovation, and the development of global Portuguese brands. Sogrape Vinhos has about 830 hectares of vineyards in Portugal. Quinta dos Carvalhais is located in the municipality of Mangualde, near Nelas and Alcafache. The soil, the climate, the experience of those who have always produced wine make the Dão truly special. This 105-hectare estate, situated at an altitude of 465-500 metres, has 50 hectares under vine on predominantly granite soils. Warm days and cool nights at this altitude slow down the grape ripening process and result in wines with lovely depth yet vibrant fruit and a signature freshness. Precision viticulture is carried out on the estate with a multitude of different plots matched to specific grape varieties and harvested at different times. The fruit for the 2021 Encruzado was sourced from four different plots. Two cooler plots, one next to the lake on the estate and another often shaded by the oak trees, deliver a vibrant acidity the blend. Another plot with more sandy soils produces intensely aromatic grapes. All of the vineyards are farmed sustainably and harvesting is carried out by hand. -
At barely 30 years old, Stephane Riffault (Claude’s son and now owner of the estate) is turning out Sancerre bottlings that are the envy of many producers twice his age.As David Schildknecht put it, “make no mistake: this address in the hamlet of Maison Salle (Sury-en-Vaux) is now one of the five or six most exciting estates in the Sancerre appellation.” Given that Stephane’s holdings represent 4 tenths of 1 percent of the appellation, this kid is clearly doing something right. Based in the village of Sury-en-Vaux, the domaine works 33 different parcels in 6 different lieu-dits spread across 4 villages. The 13.5 hectares of vines are plowed and no synthetic material is used. Unlike most Sancerre producers, the entire harvest is carried out by hand and an extensive sorting takes place before the grapes are crushed. Stephane’s wife, Benedicte, leads the harvest team while Stephane manages the sorting and press during harvest. Most of the domaine’s holdings are planted on the soft limestone soil called Terres Blanches with some parcels on calliottes and silex. Small, judicious uses of oak help to add length to the already precise and vertical bottling. All of the parcels are vilified separately and with the exception of the rose, all the wines are bottled unfiltered. Having studied and worked in Burgundy (and closely with Olivier Leflaive), it’s easy to see the Burgundian influence in Stephane’s wines. The mastery of minerality standing shoulder-height with the wood is rarely duplicated in Sancerre. Regardless of the exposition of his parcels (many are south-facing), Riffault’s wines are always crisp and high-cut with a jeweled sort of delineation that speaks to the precision and attention these wines get. These are not your daddy’s (or his daddy’s) Sancerres.