Caves São João 2019 Porta dos Cavaleiros

£9.45
Tasting notes
Ripe black fruits, soft tannins and ‘sunbaked earth’ aromas and flavours means that this goes well with sardines, steak and stinky cheeses.

Why we recommend this wine
We have always enjoyed the traditional wines of the Dão region with their feel of hot, sunbaked earth and this is a good example.

The wine
A blend of Touriga Nacional (40%), Alfrocheiro (30%) and Aragones with only 2.6 grams of sugar per litre. It is made in the traditional manner and aged in old oak barrels to add complexity.

The wine estate
The Costa family father and sons founded their winery in 1920, naming it after S. Joao, the patron saint of Bairrada. This Carmelite monk was responsible for initiating the construction of the Bussaco Monastery in 1628. Initially, they set out to make Port wines, wanting to cash in on the boom in demand for Port. A 1930 ruling prohibited the bottling of Port outside of the Douro area so Caves S. Joao turned to the production of still wines from the Bairrada and Dāo regions; Porta dos Cavaleiros is their brand for wines from the Dão
cavessaojoao.com

Food and wine
Classic lowish tannin red wine that pairs with roast and grilled meats, fatty fish and rich cheeses. Also see our guide to pairing food and wine here.

Did you know?
Caves São João has one of the largest wine cellars in private hands with over 1 million bottles.