One day in October, I managed to visit one of the wineries in Loulé, Algarve.
Quinta da Tôr – Wine tasting in Algarve
Sarah, my tour guide, guided me through the winery, detailing the path of the grapes from the bunches to the barrels. And at the end of the tour, I could even taste four of their special wines.
The Quinta da Tôr Winery is located in the Loulé district, on the edge of a picturesque village called Tôr, in its simplicity and naturalness. The area was owned by a family from the 16th century until the year of 2011 when the new owner built and founded the winery that is still in operation there. And it’s only been two years since they opened its doors even to the visitors.
The Quinta covers only 47 hectares and is cultivated with seven varieties of grapes: Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aragonez, Syria, Arinto and Chardonnay.
The grapes are harvested by hand and then placed to the crusher where the very important grape juice is released.
Then the grape must with the berry skins are pumped into the opened fermentation tank. It is regularly submerged, and the yeasts in the air slowly start the alcoholic fermentation.
And then this juice is moved to the stainless steel tanks for maturation.
The Reserva and the award-winning Algibre wines are aged in American and French oak barrels for 16-17 months.
They make approx. 100,000 bottles of wine per year. They came out with their first wine in 2013, and the following year, their most successful and sold wine, the “Quinta da Tôr – Syrah”, was created. This wine with its 17% alcohol level was bought by wine lovers within a few months.
And in 2017, they won a silver medal at the Algarve Wine Competition for their vintage wine from 2014 named “Quinta da Tôr – Algibre”.
Wine tasting:
- Quinta da Tôr – White
Grape varieties: Arinto and Syria
Alcohol: 12%
Vintage: 2017
Yellowish color with a greenish tint. Peach, pear aroma with a fresh aftertaste in the mouth. Low sugar content, stronger acidity due to unusually rainy summer in the region.
- Quinta da Tôr – Rosé
Grape varieties: Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Aragonez
Alcohol: 12.5%
Vintage 2015
Salmon colored wine. Intense aromas with mint and gooseberry, fruity aftertaste, slightly chocolate notes. It is characterized by a balanced freshness.
- Quinta da Tôr – Syrah
Grape variety: Syrah
Alcohol: 17%
Vintage: 2016
Flag wine of the winery. The grapes are left to ripen on the bunches in the warmer weather, so the fruit loses water and raises its sugar content, which leads to higher alcohol content. Intense ruby red wine with red berries and spicy pepper notes. A full-bodied wine with a strong character.
- Quinta da Tôr – Reserva
Grape varieties: Syrah, Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol content: 14.5%
Vintage 2015
Dark ruby red color with intense aromas of forest fruits and spices. Barrel-aged wine with a pleasant, velvety texture.
The beautiful rural landscape made the wine tasting especially memorable.
The Algarve is unstoppably moving forward even in the field of winemaking, and new wineries are being formed. I met a wine region and winery that is worth a visit.
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