March 2025 2 Whites

Portal Da Calcada Vinho Verde DOC, 2024

Quinta da Calçada is located in the historic center of Amarante, 40 minutes from Porto. It is located in the sub-region of Amarante, in the Vinho Verde region, about 10 minutes from the entrance to the Douro region. This sub-region is characterized by granitic soils, with some mixtures of schist, and Atlantic influence, producing wines markedly mineral, of high freshness and great gastronomic aptitude.

The remarkable extension of vineyards – more than 50 hectares with varying ages that extend up to the beginning of the 20th century – allows us to interpret the different terroirs. Among these lands they proudly count a heritage of the rich history of Quinta da Calçada. We are talking here about a parcel of vineyard that is certified as the oldest in the Vinho Verde region – 0.5 hectares of extreme vineyard positioned on a single terrace.

Quinta da Calçada has always asserted itself in the production of quality wines, focusing on the interpretation of terroir wines, specializing in white wines.

Vinho Verde translates to “green wine” which refers to the young age of the wine and the lush, green vegetation of the wine region, not the color green.  Vinho Verde wines are typically known for being fruity and lightly fizzy white wines but in recent years winemakers have started producing more serious, complex still white wines that are great year round and rival some of the great, mineral driven white wines from France, Spain and Italy.

This Vinho Verde, a blend of Loureiro and Alvarinho, comes from the higher & slightly warmer sub-region of Amarante. It is crisp and clean, with floral aromas that are nicely balanced with honeysuckle and green apple alongside traditional lemon/lime notes. Nicely balanced palate with great acidity and salinity. Tastes of fresh citrus, Granny Smith apples beautifully blend with honeydew melon and hints of passion fruit with just a note of sweetness. Dry with a light body, lively acidity and a lingering finish.

Goes well with grilled and roasted white meats with delicate sauces, fish-based dishes, pasta sautéed in butter with herbs, as well as soft cheeses.

Cantina Gabriele Rosato, 2023

In the midst of the XIXth century in Pantelleria – a little island in the south of Italy – Andrea I Pandolfo, great-grand father of the present owner Gabriele, began to produce wines based on the species of Zibibbo grapes. Andrea I and his son Giovanni began to produce quality wines in their family cellar.

In 1938 Andrea II, son of Giovanni, was only sixteen when he took the business in his hands and continued to raise the fame and quality of the wines with courage and toil. But a terrible illness striked Tunisia destroying all the vineyards: Filossera. The dry grapes were burned and the obtained coal was sold in the market of Tunis. The family got new plants of innested barbatelle resisting the disease from France and the red and desolate lands began to colour up again with green leaves and generous grapes. Then, on May 12th, in 1964, Habib Bourguiba – the current president of Tunisia at that time – with an historically important measure dispossessed all the goods and properties of the foreigners in Tunisia.

Suddenly a life-time of hard work and sacrifice was wiped out and the Pandolfo family had to leave the country and divide between Italy and France. Andrea II at that time was 42 years old and, with his wife Elena and his sons, decided to come back to Italy to buy a small estate close to Terracina in Via Renibbio where he re-started to till that bitter-sweet land and to harvest, during the vintage of 1968, the first grapes to make wine. With the first customers, the first bottles with hand-written labels and the first chestnut barrels the family cellar started to set up in the early wine-producing realities of the Pontina region. In 1976 Andrea II Pandolfo died and his sons, sided by the help of their mother Elena, decided to carry on that dream which began 150 years before by Andrea I in Pantelleria island. Now, the winery boasts over 20 different bottlings and has a rare certification- all of the wines from Cantina Gabriele are Kosher certified. 

The 2021 Rosato is a blend of Merlot (70%) and Sangiovese (30%). It has an intense, rosée color. Its bouquet is fruity and intense, with the typical notes of violets, blackberry and raspberry. It is very well-structured, round and warm at first, then it becomes fragrant and refreshing with a long lasting taste persistence.

This particular Rosato has a strong personality, and is fantastic with first courses, second courses of seafood and shellfish, soft & medium-aged cheeses.