Vale de Mata White 2025
£14.45
The wine
Fine aromas of minerality and oak-derived spice surround a core of citrus fruit. Lovely weight on the palate, beautifully balanced by pronounced acidity, leading to a fresh and mouthwatering finish.
Arinto is one of Portugal's best white grapes for holding acidity in warmth, which is why it is planted the length of the country. With Viosinho and Vital from the limestone hills of the Serra de Aire, and given some oak, it gives a white of unexpected weight for the region.
The producer
Vale de Mata
View all Vale de Mata winesIn 2003 Jose Ribeiro Vieira bought a four-hectare vineyard in the foothills of the Serra de Aire at Cortes, in the Alta Estremadura north of Lisbon. Vale de Mata is the name of a small old vineyard in those hills, and the project pays tribute to his winemaker father Manuel, who always held it was the finest site he knew.
Lisboa, formerly called Estremadura, runs along the Atlantic coast north of the capital and is one of Portugal's most productive regions, though its reputation lags behind the Douro and the Alentejo. The limestone hills inland are the interesting part: cooler, higher and considerably better drained than the coastal plain.
Arinto is the white grape, one of Portugal's best for holding acidity in warmth, and the red pairs Touriga Nacional with Tinta Roriz, which is Tempranillo.
