Anel Reserve Douro Tinto

Anel Tinto Reserva 2019 is made from grapes from the upper Douro, near Foz Côa. The grapes used are mainly Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and a small number of old vines. These grow on the left bank of the Douro River, where they are sheltered from the heat, allowing for slow and even maturation.

"Anel (in English: ring) is our commitment to the land," says Márcio Lopes of this wine.

The nose shows red fruits and roasted aromas. A wine with a beautiful structure and staying power.

Goes well with game, grilled dishes, pasta and red cheese such as Époisses... Best served at a temperature of 18ºC. Can be enjoyed immediately or for the next 10 years provided it is stored in a cool, dry place, away from light and without temperature fluctuations.

As a winemaker, Márcio Lopes really only intervenes as much as is absolutely necessary and trusts as much as he can in the natural processes of winemaking. For example, he lets his wines ferment exclusively with natural yeasts and - like many of the producers we work with - he firmly believes that if the grapes are of the right quality, he can produce excellent and harmonious quality wines that have the character reflect their terroir. And he seems to be doing quite well with it: Márcio Lopes' wines are unmistakably fresh and lively and are characterized without exception by bright and clear typical varietal aromas. They are present and clean, with crisp acidity and balanced texture. This makes the wine the ideal accompaniment to seafood and dishes with a creamy sauce.

• Vintage: 2019
• Grape Varieties: 50% Touriga Nacional, 40% Touriga Franca and 10% Old Vines (Fieldblend)
• Alcohol content: 14.5% vol.
• Total acidity : 6.2 g/L
• Production area: Douro Superior
• Residual sugar : 3.0 g/L
• pH : 3.70
• free SO2: 30 mg/L
• Terroir: granite
• Contains sulphites
• Vinification: After manual harvesting and transport to the winery in small crates (18-20 kg), the grapes were foot-pressed in granite lagares and slowly fermented for 10 days.
• Aging: 6 months in barriques (80% old, 20% new).
• Marcio Lopes: The Rising Star in Vinho Verde and Douro
  

Márcio Lopes was born in Porto in 1983 and spent many summer holidays with his grandparents in the hinterland of Porto where they grew corn and wheat and also produced wine. At the age of 6, his grandmother put him in a lagar (traditional Portuguese granite basin used for winemaking) to stomp the grapes inside, as is still traditionally done today. This was the first of many many wines that young Márcio has since produced. The rest is history...

A year before graduating in Agricultural Engineering in 2006, Márcio started working with the famous winemaker Anselmo Mendes in Melgaço. In 2008 he went to Australia, where he was responsible for two classes in Rutherglen and Tasmania. In 2010 he started his own project “Pequenos Rebentos” (Portuguese for “little offspring”) in the Minho region, home of the Vinhos Verdes.

Manufacturer: Marcio Lopes, Unipessoal, Lda. Rua da Barranha 797, 4460-256 SENHORA DA HORA, Portugal