Ortigão Baga Bruto Espumante 2016
Baga is the No. 1. grape is grown in the north-central part of Portugal.
It has a long history in the region of Bairrada where it is planted more than any other grape variety. Small dark berries with thin skins and prone to rot. Traditionally, Baga wines were usually fermented in whole bunches instead of being de-stemmed, elaborating even more tannic wines due to the high content of tannins in the stems of the grape cluster.
On the other side, there seems to be a movement towards wines with more balance and finesse. It appears that many wineries are de-stemming the grapes smoothing out those saliva-sucking tannins.
This is the type of wine that I show you now.
This Ortigão Baga Bruto Espumante is a sparkling wine from vintage 2016, produced by the Quinta do Ortigão winery in the Bairrada wine region of Portugal.
This dry wine was made from the Baga grape variety. So we would expect to taste strongly tannic champagne. But not!
“Blanc de Noir”. This sparkling has a pale copper color, with fine, persistent bubbles in flute, and good mousse on the top.
Fresh white fruits, flowers and yeast, on the nose. Good persistence and good acidity with a mineral touch, on the palate. Intense bubbles, the fine and abundant pearls fill the mouth with freshness and vegetal notes.
Light body, ending in a medium and creamy, fresh finish, with 12,5% alcohol content.
Winemaking: made by the classic method, bottle fermentation. The manual “remouage” and “dégorgement”, a manual operation that follows the ancient traditions of the monks of Champagne, ensure the good quality of this sparkling wine.
Serve at a temperature of 8ºC.
Excellent as an aperitif, or with light meals, seafood, or even desserts.
Summarizing, this is a very fresh and dry, intense, mineral, refreshing, balanced and pleasurable sparkling wine, without the serious tannic notes of the Baga grape.
Cheers!
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