Red Wine

Callabriga

2016, 75cl

Douro DOC

Callabriga

The Wine: Callabriga is a modern-style Douro red, intense and elegant, created to reflect the versatility and contemporary vibrancy of Douro wines. Callabriga is one of the most innovative wines made by Casa Ferreirinha, the company with the longest tradition of production of top-quality unfortified Douro wines and one of the most respected Douro names throughout the world.

Tasting Notes: Callabriga Red 2012 is deep ruby-red in colour, almost opaque. It has an intense, complex bouquet dominated by plum, blackcurrant and strawberry, as well as notes of resin and cedar and a hint of menthol. There are also touches of violet, ginger, nutmeg and subtle, well-integrated oak. It has excellent body, lively acidity, very good tannins, and black and red fruit flavours with spicy, peppery notes. The finish is long and complex.

Harvest Year: The winter of 2011/2012 was very cold, with practically no rainfall, followed by a spring that was drier and hotter than average, except for April, which was particularly rainy. The end of the ripening period, in August and September, was also remarkably hot and dry. This made for very balanced ripening and grapes of excellent quality.

Winemaking: Grapes were hand picked at perfect ripeness in various vineyards at Quinta da Leda and surrounding properties and vinified at the estate winery. After total destemming and gentle crushing, they were transferred to stainless steel tank or robotic lagars, where fermentation took place at controlled temperature. There followed a long post-fermentation maceration for better extraction of high-quality
aromatic components from grape skins to wine.

Maturation: The wine was gradually transported to Vila Nova de Gaia from October to December. There it continued its maturation for 12 to 18 months in used oak barrels of French and American origin (75% and 25% respectively). The final blending was done following months of tasting to choose the best wines, barrel by barrel, variety by variety. The final blend was then bottled without cold stabilisation. It might, therefore, with time, throw a natural sediment.

Allergens information

Contains sulphites.

Sogrape Vinhos

Sogrape Vinhos was born of the will and courage of a group of friends. In the difficult economic and political environment of 1942, they decided to stake everything on the visionary talents of one man. This man had the vision to create and develop an innovative wine company with a difference, one which could make and promote Portuguese wines on a global scale.

This vision belonged to Fernando van Zeller Guedes, whose character and forceful personality paved the way for a successful venture that many believed was doomed to fail from the outset. The unparalleled foresight and vision of Sogrape’s founder, resulted in the creation of the first global Portuguese wine brand – Mateus Rosé. Sold in over 120 countries, this proved to be such a resounding commercial success that it provided the decisive momentum for the growth as well as affirming the leadership of which the Company is so proud. The willingness to innovate and the ambition to do things differently – along with respect for tradition and the values of ethics and responsibility – marked the birth of an organization that has proved capable of preserving its founder’s vision and adapting to inevitably changing times. Today, led by the third generation of the founding family, Sogrape Vinhos is ever more closely dedicated to meeting the founding objective: to bring the world quality Portuguese wine brands, with sufficient volume to satisfy the needs of different market segments.

From the pioneering days of buying barrels of wine from small producers in the Douro for processing and bottling in a rented cellar in Vila Real, Sogrape Vinhos has steadily grown. Continuous investment has expanded and developed the company’s assets and workforce to such a degree that Sogrape Vinhos owns over 830 hectares of vineyards in all the key Portuguese wine regions. Nowadays, the full scope of Sogrape Vinhos is clearly demonstrated by the breadth and weight of its portfolio. At first glance, what immediately stands out is the presence of two major global Portuguese wine brands – Mateus Rosé and Sandeman as well as the prestigious wines of Porto Ferreira and Offley. Added to which are the renowned specialist brands that represent the major Portugese wine regions. Beginning with the most famous Portuguese wine of all, Barca Velha, the pride of Casa Ferreirinha (Douro) and continuing with the elegant wines of Quinta dos Carvalhais (Dão), the vibrant Herdade do Peso (Alentejo), the fresh Vinhos Verdes of Quinta de Azevedo and Gazela, and the multi-regional Grão Vasco, to name but a few.

To tell the story of Sogrape Vinhos it is essential to retrace the origins and evolution of the plan conceived by this visionary man. And then to appreciate how his successors have inherited his values and pursued them with dedication, vigour and expertise to grow and develop Portugal’s leading wine company. Above all, the achievements of such a large team are promoted with pride and sustained by the ambition to innovate and enhance all that Sogrape Vinhos has to offer.

Address

Sogrape Vinhos S.A.

Aldeia Nova
4430 – 809 Avintes
Vila Nova de Gaia

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