Last but not least, we close our 2020 portfolio with a pretty sweet novelty!
We present Quinta de Santa Cristina Dulce, a single wine made from Arinto grape variety, which not only preserves its typical freshness but also part of its sugar…
In the Basto sub-region, summers are very hot and dry, which give the grapes produced there a high sugar concentration, which, in turn, originates wines with a high alcohol content. 2020’s summer was not atypical.
During the harvest, which takes about one month, we set the harvest time of the different grape varieties according to its perfect maturation stage and we give priority to certain plots. The Arinto grape variety plot which gave rise to this wine was one of the last plots harvested and, once it did not have the irrigation system installed, the grapes were dehydrated at the harvest time, which led to a higher sugar and acidity concentration. When we received the grapes in the winery, we measured the potential alcohol and we were quite surprised when we discovered it was 17%!
An important aspect has to be clarified: there was no specific reason to this plot be one of the last ones harvested, which implies that the production of this type of wine was not in our original plan. At that time, the winemaking team gathered and decided that it would be very interesting if they make something different from this raw material. So, they put the grape must in a separated vat and let it ferment naturally. The fermentation started and, when the ABV reached the 10,5%, they stopped the fermentation by decreasing the temperature inside the vat.
By making this experience, we obtained a wine with a sugar content of approximately 75 grams per liter and an alcohol content of 10,5%. Although it is a sweet wine, aspect that contributed for its denomination (Dulce, which means “sweet”), it is a wine that surprises with its freshness, distinctive characteristic of the Arinto grape variety. Powerful with unique, fruity, exotic and refreshing citrus aromas on the nose, Quinta de Santa Cristina Dulce pairs amazingly with spicy dishes like Indian and Asian food, seafood with intense flavor, foie gras and all desserts. As an aperitif, we recommend serving at a temperature between 6 and 8⁰C.
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