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White
Portugal
Other Grape
Composite Cork
Dry
No Oak
Vegan
ABV 12.5%
Tasting notes
Fresh, fruity, lemony; light yet complex - wow! We had it with a crab tart and salad and it was great.
Why we recommend this wine
We have tasted a few wines made with Antão Vaz as the base and really like them. This particular one has quite a bit more to it without being overpowering. It is also a vegan-friendly wine (see "Did you know?" below).
The wine
Each of the components of this wine (Antão Vaz 50%, Síria 25% and Arinto 25%) is vinified separately before the final blend is assembled. The fermentation process is carried out in stainless steel vats with controlled temperatures, between 12ºC-12.5ºC, yielding prolonged fermentations of approximately 30 days, followed by battonage, a process lasting 2 to 3 months. It is this process that yields the fresh complexity.
The wine estate
Ribafreixo Wines is a young venture only being created in 2007. They bought 28 plots of abandoned land, joined them together and created a single property covering an area of 282 acres; then they connected it to the watering system of the Alqueva dam to provide drip irrigation. They rejuvenated the already existing vineyards and planted new extensions using primarily Portuguese grapes, some of them indigenous to the Vidigueira region. Their primary focus is on white wines. They follow a 'nurture nature' approach.
ribafreixo.com
Food and wine
This white is complex and lemony so pair it with creamy white sauces, asian dishes, fish (grilled and sushi) and hors d'oeuvres. Also see our guide to pairing food and wine here.
Did you know?
Even white wines create sediment (small particles left over from fermentation) but winemakers generally use animal products (for example egg whites) to remove this sediment, a practice called fining. Vegan-friendly wines such as this one use alternative ingredients of mineral origin only, or don't fine at all (especially red wines).
Fresh, fruity, lemony; light yet complex - wow! We had it with a crab tart and salad and it was great.
Why we recommend this wine
We have tasted a few wines made with Antão Vaz as the base and really like them. This particular one has quite a bit more to it without being overpowering. It is also a vegan-friendly wine (see "Did you know?" below).
The wine
Each of the components of this wine (Antão Vaz 50%, Síria 25% and Arinto 25%) is vinified separately before the final blend is assembled. The fermentation process is carried out in stainless steel vats with controlled temperatures, between 12ºC-12.5ºC, yielding prolonged fermentations of approximately 30 days, followed by battonage, a process lasting 2 to 3 months. It is this process that yields the fresh complexity.
The wine estate
Ribafreixo Wines is a young venture only being created in 2007. They bought 28 plots of abandoned land, joined them together and created a single property covering an area of 282 acres; then they connected it to the watering system of the Alqueva dam to provide drip irrigation. They rejuvenated the already existing vineyards and planted new extensions using primarily Portuguese grapes, some of them indigenous to the Vidigueira region. Their primary focus is on white wines. They follow a 'nurture nature' approach.
ribafreixo.com
Food and wine
This white is complex and lemony so pair it with creamy white sauces, asian dishes, fish (grilled and sushi) and hors d'oeuvres. Also see our guide to pairing food and wine here.
Did you know?
Even white wines create sediment (small particles left over from fermentation) but winemakers generally use animal products (for example egg whites) to remove this sediment, a practice called fining. Vegan-friendly wines such as this one use alternative ingredients of mineral origin only, or don't fine at all (especially red wines).